HE    INSTANTLY    CHECKED    HIS    HORSE.       Page  16. 


WAR   WHOOP   SERIES   NO.   III. 


In  the  Pecos  Country 


BY 


LIEUT.  R.   H.  JAYNE 


AUTHOR  OF 


"LOST  IN  THE  WILDERNESS,"  "THROUGH  APACHE  LAND,' 
"THE  WHITE  MUSTANG,"  ETC.,  ETC. 


ILLUSTRATED 


\Tight,      - 

Passage, 
Bed,     - 

Earth, 

Visitor,      - 
,nean  Camp-Firc, 
-ing  Tour, 


NEW  YORK 

THE  MERRIAM  COMPANY 

ST.  PAUL 


COPYRIGHTED  1894 

BY 

THE  MERRIAM  CO. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER.  PAGE. 

I — A.  Warning, 7 

II — A  Brief  Conference,  15 

III— Fred  Goes  on  Guard,      -                                       -  23 

IV— Facing  Lone  Wolf,       -       -       -               -       -  32 

V — "The  Apaches  are  Coming,"  39 

VI— The  Apache  Attack,     -       ...  48 

VII— In  a  Tree,          ....  57 

VIII— The  Swoop  of  the  Apaches,       -  64 

IX— In  Lone  Wolf  s  Clutches,       -       -  71 

X— Two  Old  Enemies,       ...  80 

XI— Hot  Quarters,                                                         -  89 

XII— The  Young  Captive,  99 

XIII— The  Encampment,                                                  -  106 

XIV— The  Strange  Camp, 116 

XV— A  Leap  for  Liberty,        -        ...                -  123 

XVI — The  Reconnoissance, 132 

XVII— Foraging  for  Food,         -                ....  142 

XVIII— Alone  in  the  Ravine,           152 

XIX— The  Mysterious  Pursuer,      -               -       -       -  160 

XX — An  Uncomfortable  Lodging,      .'....  168 

XXI— A  Terrible  Night,     -                                              -  175 

XXII— Lost,       -                                      -       -       -        -  185 

XXIII— A  Perilous  Passage,       -..-..  195 

XXIV— A  Terrible  Bed,     -       -  205 

XXV— Within  the  Earth,                                          -       -  215 

XXVI— A  Welcome  Visitor,      -               -       -       -       -  225 

XXVII— A  Subterranean  Camp-Fire,                                  -  235 

XXVIII— The  Exploring  Tour,           .....  245 

XXIX-A  Mystery,       -       -                                              -  255 

XXX— Discussions  and  Plans,  265 

XXXI— An  Exchange  of  Shots,                                  -       -  275 

XXXII— Footsteps  in  the  Darkness,                                -  285 

XXXIII— What  the  Foosteps  Meant,           ....  294 


2137476 


IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY.  11 

"From  the  manner  of  your  discourse,  I  judge 
that  you're  acquainted  with  the  American  gentle- 
man that  you've  just  referred  to  as  Mr.  Lone 
Wolf?" 

"I  rather  reckon  I  am,"  replied  Sut,  with 
another  of  his  peculiar  grins.  "Me  and  the  Wolf 
have  met  semi-occasionally  for  the  past  ten  years, 
and  I  carry  a  few  remembrances  of  his  love,  that 
I  expect  to  keep  on  carrying  to  my  grave." 

As  he  spoke,  he  laid  his  finger  upon  a  cicatrized 
wound  upon  his  cheek,  a  frightful  scar  several 
inches  in  length,  and  evidently  made  by  a  toma- 
hawk. It  ran  from  the  temple  to  the  base  of  the 
nose,  and  was  scarcely  concealed  by  the  luxuriant 
grizzled  beard  that  grew  almost  to  his  eyes. 

"That's  only  one,"  said  Sut.  "Here's  another 
that  mebbe  you  can  see." 

This  time  he  removed  his  coon-skin  hunting-cap 
and  bending  his  head  down,  he  parted  the  hair 
with  his  long,  horny  fingers,  so  that  all  saw  very 
distinctly  the  scar  of  a  wound  that  must  have 
endangered  the  life  of  the  recipient. 

"I've  got  half  a  dozen  other  scars  strung  here 
and  there  about  my  body,  the  most  of  which  was 
made  by  that  lonely  Apache  chief  that  is  called 
Lone  Wolf;  so  I  reckon  you'll  conclude  that  he 


12  IX  THE   PECOS   COUNTRY. 

and  me  have  some  acquaintance.  Oh !  we  was  as 
lovin'  as  a  couple  of  brothers !  " 

Mickey  O'Rooney  lifted  his  cap,  and  scratched 
his  red  head  in  a  puzzled  way,  as  if  he  were  debat- 
ing some  weighty  matter.  Suddenly  looking  up, 
he  asked : 

"Was  this  Mr.  Wolf  born  in  these  parts  ?  " 

"I  can't  say,  precise^,  where  he  first  seed  the 
light,  but  it  must  have  been  somewhere  round 
about  this  part  of  the  world.  Why  did  you  ax?  " 

"I  was  thinking  p'raps  he  was  born  in  Ireland, 
and  came  to  this  country  when  he  was  of  a  tender 
age.  I  once  knowed  a  Mr.  Fox,  whose  petaty 
patch  was  so  close  to  ours,  that  the  favorite 
amoosement  of  me  respected  parents  was  flingin' 
the  petaties  over  into  our  field  by  moonlight.  His 
name  was  Fox,  I  say,  but  I  never  knowed  anybody 
by  the  name  of  Wolf." 

"He's  a  screamer,"  continued Sut  Simpson,  who 
seemed  to  enjoy  talking  of  such  a  formidable  foe. 
"  The  Comanches  and  Apaches  sling  things  loose 
in  these  parts,  an'  the  wonder  to  me  is  how  }rou 
ever  got  this  fur  without  losing  your  top-knots, 
for  you've  had  to  come  right  through  their  coun- 
try." 

"We  have  had  encounters  with   the  red  men 


IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY.  13 

times  \vithout  number,"  said  Caleb Barnwell,  who 
was  standing  erect,  with  arms  folded,  looking 
straight  at  the  hunter.  He  spoke  in  a  deep,  rich, 
bass  voice,  recalling  the  figures  of  the  early  Puri- 
tans, who  were  unappalled  by  the  dangers  of  the 
ocean  and  forest,  when  the  question  of  liberty  of 
conscience  was  at  stake.  "We  have  encountered 
the  red  men  time  and  again,"  he  continued,  "so 
that  I  may  conclude  that  we  have  become  accli- 
mated, as  they  say,  and  understand  the  nature  of 
the  American  Indian  very  well." 

Sut  Simpson  shook  his  head  with  a  displeased 
expression. 

"If  you'd  understood  Injin  nature,  you'd  never 
come  here  to  settle.  You  might  have  gone  through 
the  country  on  your  way  to  some  other  place,  for, 
when  you're  on  the  way,  you  can  keep  a  lookout 
for  the  varmints;  but  you've  undertook  to  settle 
down  right  in  the  heart  of  the  Apache  country, 
and  that's  what  I  call  the  biggest  piece  of  tom- 
foolery that  was  ever  knowed." 

This  kind  of  talk  might  have  discouraged  ordi- 
nary people,  but  Barnwell  and  his  companions 
had  long  since  become  accustomed  to  it.  They 
had  learned  to  brave  ridicule  before  leaving  theii 
homes,  and  they  classed  the  expressions  of  the 


14  IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY. 

hunters  who  had  called  upon  them  with  the  utter- 
ances of  those  who  failed  to  "look  into  the 
future." 

"We  were  not  the  dunces  to  suppose  that  this 
was  a  promised  land,  in  which  there  were  no  giants 
to  dispossess,"  replied  Barn  well,  in  the  same  dig- 
nified manner.  "Our  fathers  had  to  fight  the 
Indians,  and  we  are  prepared  to  do  the  same." 

Sut  Simpson  had  no  patience  with  this  sort  of 
talk,  and  he  threw  up  his  head  with  an  impatient 
gesture. 

"Did  you  ever  toss  a  hunk  of  buffler  meat  to  a 
hungry  hound,  and  seen  how  nice  he'd  catch  it  in 
his  jaws,  and  gulp  it  down  without  winkin',  and 
then  he'd  lick  his  chops,  and  look  up  and  whine  for 
more.  Wai,  that's  just  the  fix  you  folks  are  in. 
Lone  Wolf  and  his  men  wrill  swallow  you  down 
without  winkin',  and  then  be  mad  that  there  ain't 
somethin'left  to  squinch  thar  hunger." 

As  the  hunter  uttered  this  significant  warning, 
he  gathered  up  the  reins  of  his  mustang  and  rode 
away. 


CHAPTER  II. 

A  BRIEF  CONFERENCE. 

SUT  SIMPSON  was  thoroughly  impatient  and 
angry.  Knowing,  as  well  as  he  did,  the  danger- 
ous character  of  Arizona,  New  Mexico,  Northwest- 
ern Texas  and  Indian  Territory,  he  could  not 
excuse  such  a  foolhardy  proceeding  as.  that  of  a 
small  colony  settling  in  the  very  heart  of  that  sec- 
tion. The  nearest  point  where  they  could  hope  for 
safety  was  Fort  Severn,  fifty  miles  distant.  There 
was  a  company  of  soldiers  under  command  of  an 
experienced  United  States  officer,  and  they  knew 
well  enough  to  keep  within  the  protection  of  their 
stockades,  except  when  making  reconnoissances  in 
force. 

All  those  who  were  acquainted  with  the  veteran 
scout  were  accustomed  to  defer  to  his  judgment, 
where  Indians  were  concerned,  and  he  was  so  used 
to  receiving  this  deference,  that  when  he  was  con- 
tradicted and  gainsayed  by  these  new  settlers,  he 

15 


16  IN  THE   PECOS   COUNTRY. 

lost  his  patience,  and  started  to  leave  them  in  a 
sort  of  mild  passion. 

The  place  fixed  for  the  location  of  New  Boston 
was  in  a  gently  sloping  valley,  with  the  Rio  Pecos 
running  on  the  right.  The  soil  was  fertile,  as  was 
shown  in  the  abundance  of  rich,  succulent  grass 
which  grew  about  them,  while,  only  a  few  hundred 
yards  up  the  river,  was  a  grove  of  timber,  filled  in 
with  dense  undergrowth  and  brush  —  the  most 
favorable  location  possible  for  a  band  of  daring 
red-skins,  when  preparing  to  make  a  raid  upon 
the  settlement.  The  hunter  turned  the  head  of  his 
mustang  in  the  direction  of  this  wood,  and  rode 
away  at  a  slow  walk.  He  had  nearly  reached  the 
margin,  when  some  one  called  to  him : 

"Hist,  there,  ye  spalpeen !  Won't  ye  howld  on  a 
minute?  " 

Turning  his  head,  he  saw  the  Irishman  walking 
rapidly  toward  him,  after  the  manner  of  one  who 
had  something  important  to  say.  He  instantly 
checked  his  horse,  and  waited  for  him  to  come  up. 

"Do  you  know,"  struck  in  Mickey,  "that  I 
belaved  in  Misther  Barnwell  till  we  reached  Kan- 
sas City  ?  There  we  met  people  that  had  been  all 
through  this  country  and  that  knew  all  about  it, 
and  every  one  of  the  spalpeens  told  us  that  we'd 


IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY.  17 

lose  our  sculps  if  \ve  corned  on.  I  didn't  consider 
it  likely  that  all  of  them  folks  would  talk  in  that 
style  unless  they  meant  it,  and  half  a  dozen  of  us 
made  up  our  minds  that  the  best  thing  we  could 
do  -was  to  go  back,  or  stop  where  we  was.  We 
wint  to  Misther  Barnwell  and  plaided  with  him, 
and  I  was  ready  to  break  a  shillalah  over  his  head 
by  way  of  convincin'  him  of  the  truth  of  me 
remarks,  but  it  was  no  use.  He  just  grinned  and 
shook  his  head.  The  folks  all  seem  to  be  afeard 
of  him,  as  though  he  were  St.  Patrick  or  some 
other  sensible  gintleman,  and  so  we  corned  on." 

"What  made  you  come?"  asked  Sut,  throwing 
his  knee  upon  the  saddle  and  looking  down  upon 
the  Irishman.  "You  could  do  as  you  choosed." 

"No,  I  couldn't.  I  hired  out  to  Mr.  Moonson 
for  a  year,  and  there  ain't  half  a  year  gone  yet, 
and  I've  got  to  stick  to  him  till  the  time  is  up." 

"Whose  little  boy  is  that  I  seed  standing  by 
you?" 

"That's  Mr.  Moonson's  boy,  Fred,  one  of  the 
foinest,  liveliest  lads  ye  ever  sot  eyes  on,  and  I'm 
much  worried  on  his  account." 

"Are  his  parents  with  you?  " 

"Naitherof'em." 


18  IN   THE   PECOS   COUNTRY. 

The  hunter  looked  surprised,  and  the  Irishman 
hastened  to  explain. 

"I  never  knowed  his  mother — she  havin'  been 
dead  afore  I  lift  owld  Ireland  —  and  his  father  was 
taken  down  with  a  sort  of  fever  a  week  ago,  when 
we  was  t'other  side  of  Fort  Aubray.  It  -wasn't 
anything  dangerous  at  all  but  it  sort  of  weakened 
him,  so  that  it  was  belaved  best  for  him  to  tarry 
there  awhile  until  he  could  regain  his  strength." 

"Why  didn't  you  and  the  younker  stay  with 
him?" 

"That's  what  orter  been  done,"  replied  the  dis- 
gusted Irishman.  "But  as  it  wasn't,  here  we 
are.  The  owld  gintleman,  Mr.  Moonson,  had 
considerable  furniture  and  goods  that  went  best 
with  the  train,  and  he  needed  me  to  look  after  it. 
He  thought  the  boy  would  be  safer  with  the  train 
than  with  him,  bein'  that  when  he  comes  on,  as 
he  hopes  to  do,  in  the  course  of  a  week,  be  the 
same  more  or  less,  he  will  not  have  more  than  two 
or  three  companions.  What  I  wanted  to  ax  }rez," 
said  Mickey,  checking  his  disposition  to  loquacity, 
"is  whether  ye  are  in  dead  airnest  'bout  saying 
the  copper-colored  gentleman  will  be  down  here 
for  the  purpose  of  blotting  out  the  metropolis  of 
New  Boston?" 


IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY.  19 

"Be  here?  Of  course  they  will,  just  as  sure  as 
you're  a  livin'  man.  And  you  won't  have  to  wait 
long,  either." 

"How  long?" 

"Inside  of  a  week,  mebbe  within  three  days. 
The  last  I  heard  of  Lone  Wolf,  he  was  down  in 
the  direction  of  the  Llano  Estaeado,  some  two 
or  three  hundred  miles  from  here,  and  it  won't 
take  him  long  to  come  that  distance." 

"Is  he  the  only  Indian  chief  in  this  country,  that 
ye  talk  so  much  about  him  ?  " 

"Oh,  no!  there  are  plenty  of  'em,  but  Lone 
Wolf  has  a  special  weakness  for  such  parties  as 
this." 

"When  he  does  come,  what  is  best  for  us  to 
do?" 

"You'll  make  the  best  fight  you  can,  of  course, 
and  if  you  get  licked,  as  I've  no  doubt  you  will, 
and  you're  well  mounted,  you  must  all  strike  a 
bee-line  for  Fort  Severn,  and  never  stop  till  you 
reach  the  stockades.  You  can't  miss  the  road,  for 
you've  only  got  to  ride  toward  the  setting  sun,  as 
though  you  meant  to  dash  your  animal  right 
through  it." 

"Where  will  the  spalpeen  come  from?  " 


20  IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY. 

The  hunter  pointed  toward  the  woods  before 
them. 

"That's  just  the  place  the  varmints  would  want 
— they  couldn't  want  any  nicer.  You  may  be 
lookin'  at  that  spot,  and  they'll  crawl  right  in 
afore  you'r  eyes,  and  lay  thar  for  hours  without 
your  seein'  'em.  You  want  to  get  things  fixed,  so 
that  you  can  make  a  good  fight  when  they  do 
swoop  down  on  you.  I  guess  that  long-legged 
chap  that  I  was  talkin'to  knows  enough  for  that. 
You  seem  to  have  more  sense  than  any  of  'em,  and 
I'll  give  you  a  little  advice.  Let's  see,  what's  your 
name?" 

The  Irishman  gave  it,  and  the  hunter  responded 
by  mentioning  his  own. 

"Do  you  put  some  one  in  here  to  keep  watch 
night  and  day,  and  the  minute  you  see  the  red- 
skins comin'  give  the  signal  and  run  for  your 
friends  there.  Then  if  the  red-skins  foller,  you 
must  let  'em  have  it  right  and  left.  If  you  find 
you  can't  hold  your  own  agin  'em,  you  must  make 
all  haste  to  Fort  Severn,  as  you  heard  me  say  a 
while  ago.  Aim  for  the  setting  sun,  and  after 
you've  gone  fifty  miles  or  so  you'll  be  thar.  Good 
by  to  you,  now;  I'm  watching  the  Injin  move- 
ments in  these  parts,  and,  if  the  signs  are  bad,  and 


IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY.  21 

I  have  the  chance,  I'll  give  you  notice ;  but  you 
mustn't  depend  on  me." 

The  hunter  leaned  over  the  saddle,  and  warmly 
shook  the  hand  of  the  Irishman,  the  two  having 
conceived  a  strong  liking  for  each  other. 

Then  he  wheeled  his  mustang  about,  and  gave 
him  a  word  that  caused  him  at  once  to  break  into 
a  swift  gallop,  which  quickly  carried  him  up  the 
slope,  until  he  reached  the  margin  of  the  valley, 
over  which  he  went  at  the  same  rate,  and  speedily 
vanished  from  view. 

The  Irishman  stood  gazing  at  the  spot  where  he 
had  vanished,  and  then  he  walked  thoughtfully 
back  toward  the  settlement,  where  all  were  as 
busy  as  beavers,  getting  their  rude  huts  and 
homes  in  condition  for  living.  In  doing  this  Caleb 
Barn  well  was  guided  by  a  desire  to  be  prepared 
for  the  Indian  visitation,  which  he  knew  was  likely 
soon  to  be  made.  They  had  gathered  an  immense 
quantity  of  driftwood  along  the  banks  of  the  Rio 
Pecos,  and  the  other  timber  that  they  needed  had 
already  been  cut  and  dragged  from  the  woods,  so 
that  about  all  the  material  they  needed  was  at 
hand. 

Even  with  their  huts  a  third  or  a  half  finished, 
they  would  be  in  a  much  better  condition  to  receive 


22  IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY. 

the  attack  of  the  Apaches  than  if  compelled  to  place 
their  heavy  luggage-wagons  in  a  semi-circle  and 
fight  from  behind  them. 

"The  gentleman  spakes  the  thruth,"  muttered 
Mickey,  as  he  walked  along,  "and  I'm  not  the  one 
to  forgit  such  a  favor,  when  he  took  so  much  pains 
to  tell  me.  I'll  remember  and  fix  a  watch  in  the 
wood." 


CHAPTER  III. 

FRED  GOES  ON  GUARD. 

MICKEY  O'ROONEY,  fully  believing  the  warning 
of  the  hunter,  could  not  but  feel  deeply  anxious  for 
the  safety  of  himself  and  those  around  him.  He 
was  particularly  concerned  for  his  young  friend, 
Fred  Munson,  who  had  been  committed  to  his 
charge. 

"It's  myself  that  is  the  only  one  he  has  to  look 
after  him,  and  if  I  doesn't  attend  to  my  dooty, 
there's  no  telling  what  may  become  of  it,  and  be 
the  same  towken,  I  can't  say  what'll  become  of 
him  if  I  does  attend  to  the  same.  Whisht !  there." 

The  last  exclamation  was  uttered  to  Caleb 
Barnwell,  whom  he  approached  at  that  moment. 
The  leader  stepped  aside  a  few  minutes,  and  they 
conferred  together.  The  Irishman  impressed  upon 
the  leader  the  warning  he  had  received  from  the 
hunter,  and  Barnwell  admitted  that  there  might 
be  grounds  for  the  fear,  but  he  added  that  he  was 
doing  all  he  could  to  guard  against  it.  At 

23 


24  IN  THE   PECOS  COUNTRY. 

Mickey's  suggestion,  he  sent  two  of  his  most  trust- 
worthy men  to  the  woods  to  keep  watch,  while  a 
third  was  stationed  on  some  elevated  ground 
beyond,  where  he  commanded  an  extensive  view 
of  the  surrounding  prairie.  As  this  "was  to  be  a 
permanent  arrangement,  it  would  seem  that  he 
had  taken  all  reasonable  precautions.  Not  a  sus- 
picious sign  was  seen  through  the  day. 

When  night  came,  the  two  men  were  called  in, 
and  Mickey  O'Rooney,  Fred  Munson,  and  a  man 
named  Thompson  went  on  duty.  As  two  was  the 
regular  number  at  night,  it  will  be  seen  that  the 
boy  was  an  extra. 

"We're  to  come  in  at  one  o'clock,"  he  said,  in 
reply  to  the  remonstrance  of  his  friend,  "and  I'm 
sure  I  can  keep  awake  that  long.  I  believe  the 
Indians  will  be  around  to-night,  and  I  won't  be 
able  to  sleep  if  I  go  into  the  wagon." 

Mickey  had  not  yet  learned  how  to  refuse  the 
boy,  and  so  he  took  him  along. 

Thompson  was  a  powerful,  stalwart  man,  who 
had  joined  the  party  in  Nebraska,  and  who  was 
supposed  to  have  considerable  knowledge  of  the 
frontier  and  its  ways.  He  had  proved  himself  a 
good  shot,  and,  on  more  than  one  occasion,  had 
displayed  such  coolness  and  self-possession  in  criti- 


IN  THE   PECOS  COUNTRY.  25 

cal  moments,  that  he  was  counted  one  of  the  most 
valuable  men  in  the  entire  company. 

The  sentinels  were  stationed  on  the  other  side  of 
the  wood,  Mickey  at  one  corner,  Thompson  at 
another,  with  Fred  about  half  way  between,  some- 
thing like  a  hundred  yards  separating  them  from 
each  other. 

It  must  be  said  that,  so  far  as  it  was  possible,  Fred 
Munson  was  furnished  with  every  advantage  that 
he  could  require.  He  had  a  rifle  suited  to  his  size 
and  strength,  but  it  was  one  of  the  best  ever  made, 
and  long-continued  and  careful  practice  had  made 
him  quite  skillful  in  handling  it.  Besides  this,  both 
he  and  Mickey  were  provided  each  with  the  fleet- 
est and  most  intelligent  mustang  that  money 
could  purchase,  and  when  mounted  and  with  a 
fair  field  before  them,  they  had  little  to  fear  from 
the  pursuit  of  the  Apaches  and  Comanches. 

But  it  is  the  Indian's  treacherous,  cat-like  nature 
that  makes  him  so  dangerous,  and  against  his 
wonderful  cunning  all  the  precautions  of  the  white 
men  are  frequently  in  vain. 

"Now,  Fred,"  said  Mickey,  after  they  had  left 
Thompson,  as  he  was  on  the  point  of  leaving  the 
boy,  "I  don't  feel  exactly  aisy  'bout  laving  you 
here,  as  me  mother  used  to  observe  when  she  wint 


26  IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY. 

out  from  the  house,  while  I  remained  behind  with 
the  vittles.  If  one  of  the  spalpeens  should  slip  up 
and  find  you  asleep,  he'd  never  let  you  wake  up." 

"You  needn't  be  afraid  of  my  going  to  sleep," 
replied  Fred,  in  a  voice  of  self-confidence.  "I 
know  what  the  danger  is  too  well." 

With  a  few  more  words  they  separated,  and 
each  took  his  station,  the  Irishman  somewhat 
consoled  by  the  fact  that  from  where  he  stood  he 
was  able,  he  believed,  to  cover  the  position  of  the 
lad. 

The  moon  overhead  was  gibbous,  and  there 
were  no  clouds  in  the  sky.  Thompson's  place  was 
such  that  he  was  close  to  the  river,  which  flowed 
on  his  right,  and  he  had  that  stream  and  the 
prairie  in  his  front  at  his  command.  Mickey 
O'Rooney,  being  upon  the  extreme  left,  was 
enabled  to  range  his  eye  up  the  valley  to  the  crest 
of  the  slope,  so  that  he  was  confident  he  could 
detect  any  insidious  approach  from  that  direction. 
Down  the  valley,  on  the  other  side  of  the  settle- 
ment, were  placed  a  couple  of  other  sentinels,  so 
that  New  Boston,  on  that  memorable  night,  was 
well  guarded. 

The  position  of  Fred  Munson,  it  will  be  under- 
stood, was  apparently  the  least  important,  as  it 


IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY.  27 

was  commanded  by  the  other  two,  but  the  lad  felt 
as  if  the  lives  of  the  entire  company  were  placed  in 
his  hands. 

"Talk  of  my  going  to  sleep,"  he  repeated,  as 
soon  as  he  found  himself  alone.  "I  can  stand  or 
sit  here  till  daylight,  and  wink  less  times  than 
either  Thompson  or  Mickey." 

As  every  boy  feels  this  way  a  short  time  before 
going  to  sleep,  no  one  who  might  have  overheard 
Fred's  boast  would  have  been  over-persuaded 
thereby.  Before  him  stretched  the  sloping  valley 
of  the  Rio  Pecos.  Glancing  to  the  right,  he  could 
just  catch  the  glimmer  of  the  river  as  it  flowed  by 
in  the  moonlight,  the  banks  being  low  and  not 
wooded,  while  looking  straight  up  the  valley,  his 
vision  was  bounded  only  by  darkness  itself.  Care- 
fully running  his  eye  over  the  ground,  he  was  con- 
fident that  the  styest  and  most  stealthy  Indian 
that  ever  lived  could  not  approach  within  a  hun- 
dred feet  of  him  without  detection. 

"And  the  minute  I'm  certain  its  a  red-skin,  that 
minute  I'll  let  him  have  it,"  he  added,  instinctively 
grasping  his  rifle.  "  A  boy  needn't  be  as  old  as  I 
am  to  learn  that  it  won't  do  to  fool  with  such 
dogs  as  they  are." 

The  grove  which  was  guarded  in  this  manner,  it 


28  IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY. 

will  be  understood,  was  nearly  square  in  shape, 
reaching  from  the  shore  of  the  Rio  Pecos  on 
toward  the  left  until  the  termination  of  the  valley 
in  that  direction  had  been  gained.  It  had  been  so 
plentifully  drawn  upon  for  logs  and  lumber  that 
here  and  there  were  spaces  from  which,  several 
trees  having  been  cut,  the  moon's  rays  found 
unobstructed  entrance.  One  of  these  oasis,  as 
they  may  be  termed,  was  directly  in  the  rear  of 
Fred,  who  noticed  it  while  reconnoitering  his  po- 
sition. The  open  space  was  some  twenty  feet 
square,  and  was  bisected  by  the  trunk  of  a  large 
cottonwood,  which  had  fallen  directly  across  it. 

Being  left  entirely  to  himself,  the  boy  now 
devoted  himself  to  the  somewhat  dismal  task  of 
keeping  watch,  an  occupation  that  cannot  be 
classed  as  the  most  cheerful  in  which  a  man  may 
engage.  The  excitement  and  apprehension  that 
marked  the  first  two  or  three  hours  prevented  the 
time  from  hanging  too  heavily  upon  his  hands, 
but  as  the  night  stole  along  and  nothing  was 
heard  or  seen  to  cause  alarm,  the  fear  grew  less 
and  less,  until,  like  a  boy,  he  began  to  suspect  that 
all  these  precautions  were  useless. 

For  the  twentieth  time  he  stood  up  and  lis- 
tened. The  soft,  musical  murmur  of  the  Rio  Pecos 


IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY.  29 

was  heard,  as  it  flowed  by  on  his  right,  and  now 
and  then  the  gentlest  possible  breath  of  night-wind 
disturbed  the  branches  overhead ;  but  nothing  else 
caught  his  notice.  To  prevent  the  feeling  of  utter 
loneliness  from  gaining  possession  of  him,  Fred 
occasionally  emitted  a  low,  soft,  tremulous  whistle, 
which  was  instantly  responded  to  from  the  direc- 
tion of  Mickey.  It  was  the  old  familiar  signal 
which  they  had  used  many  a  time  when  off  on 
their  little  hunting  expeditions,  and  either,  hearing 
it,  could  not  mistake  its  source.  But  this  grew 
wearisome  at  last,  and  he  leaned  back  against  a 
tree,  looking  out  upon  the  moonlit  valley  beyond, 
where  nothing  as  yet  had  caught  his  eye  that 
looked  in  the  least  suspicious,  and  where  every- 
thing still  appeared  as  silent  as  a  graveyard. 

"I  don't  believe  there  are  any  Indians  within 
fifty  miles,"  he  muttered,  impatiently;  "and  yet 
we  must  have  three  or  four  men  on  the  look-out 
till  morning.  Well,  I  s'pose  it's  the  only  safe 
thing  to  do,  and  I'm  bound  to  stick  it  out  till  one 
o'clock.  It  must  be  near  midnight  now,  and  if 
Mickey  should  come  around  here,  an  hour  from 
now,  and  find  me  asleep,  I  never  would  hear  the 
last  of  it." 

He  felt  very  much  like  sitting  down  upon  the 


30  IN   THE   PECOS   COUNTRY. 

ground,  but  he  knew  if  he  did  that  he  would  be 
sure  to  fall  asleep,  while,  as  long  as  he  kept  his 
feet,  he  was  sure  to  retain  his  senses.  When  dis- 
posed to  become  too  drowsy,  a  sudden  giving 
away  at  the  knees  recalled  him  so  vigorously,  that 
it  was  a  considerable  time  before  the  drowsiness 
crept  over  him  again. 

Thus  the  night  advanced,  until  all  at  once,  Fred 
aroused  himself  as  if  a  sharp  pin  had  been  thrust 
in  him. 

"By  George!  I  heard  something  then!"  he 
exclaimed,  in  an  excited  undertone,  looking 
sharply  about  him;  "but  I  don't  know  where  it 
came  from." 

His  impression  was  that  it  came  from  some 
point  directly  before  him  out  on  the  open  space ; 
but  the  most  rigid  scrutiny  failed  to  reveal  the 
cause.  There  was  the  level  stretch  of  grass, 
unbroken  by  stone  or  shrub,  but  nothing  that 
could  be  tortured  into  the  remotest  resemblance 
to  a  human  figure. 

"It  can't  be  there,"  he  muttered;  "or  if  it  was, 
it  don't  amount " 

His  senses  were  aroused  to  the  highest  pitch, 
and  he  was  all  attention. 

Just  as  the  thoughts  were  running  through  his 


IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY.  31 

head,  he  caught  the  slightest  possible  rustle  from 
some  point  behind  him.  He  turned  his  head  like 
lightning,  and  looked  and  listened.  He  could 
dimly  discern  the  open  moonlit  space  to  which  ref- 
erence has  already  been  made ;  but  the  intervening 
trees  and  undergrowth  prevented  anything  like  a 
satisfactory  view. 

"There's  where  it  seemed  to  come  from,"  he 
said,  to  himself;  "and  yet  I  don't  see  how  an 
Indian  could  have  got  there  \vithout  our  finding 
it  out.  Maybe  it  wasn't  anything,  after  all." 

He  waited  and  listened  awhile  longer,  but  heard 
no  more.  Anxious  to  learn  what  it  all  meant,  he 
began  a  cautious  movement  toward  the  open 
space,  for  the  purpose  of  finding  out. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

FACING  LONE  WOLF. 

FRED'S  few  -weeks  spent  in  crossing  the  plains 
on  his  way  to  the  valley  of  the  Rio  Pecos  had 
taught  him  much  of  the  ways  of  the  Indians,  and 
he  knew  that  if  any  of  the  scamps  were  in  his 
immediate  neighborhood,  it  would  be  almost 
impossible  for  him  to  stir  from  his  position  by  the 
tree  without  betraying  himself.  The  lad  half  sus- 
pected that  the  sound  was  made  by  some  wild 
animal  that  was  stealing  through  the  wood,  or 
what  was  more  likely,  that  it  was  no  more  than  a 
falling  leaf;  but,  whatever  it  was,  he  was  deter- 
mined to  learn  if  the  thing  were  among  the  possi- 
bilities. 

A  veteran  Comanche,  himself,  could  not  have 
picked  his  way  through  the  undergrowth  any 
better  than  did  he;  and,  when  at  last  he  stood 
upon  the  edge  of  the  open  space  and  looked 
around,  he  was  morally  certain  that  no  other 
creature  was  aware  of  his  movement.  Nor  was 

32 


IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY.  33 

he  aware  of  the  action  of  the  other  party,  if  there 
was  really  such  a  one,  which  had  been  the  means 
of  bringing  him  thither.  If  some  wild  animal  or 
wild  Indian  were  lurking  in  the  vicinity,  he  knew 
how  to  remain  invisible. 

"I'll  stay  here  a  little  while " 

Fred  at  that  moment  was  looking  at  the  cot- 
tonwood  tree,  which,  it  will  be  remembered,  had 
been  felled  directly  across  the  opening,  when,  to 
his  speechless  terror,  the  figure  of  an  Indian  war- 
rior suddenly  rose  upright  from  behind  it,  and 
stood  as  motionless  as  a  statue.  His  action  indi- 
cated that  he  was  not  aware  that  any  one  was 
standing  so  near  him.  He  had  probably  crept 
up  to  the  log  behind  which  he  crouched,  until, 
believing  he  was  not  in  danger  of  being  seen,  he 
arose  to  his  feet  and  assumed  the  attitude  of  one 
who  was  using  his  eyes  and  ears  to  their  utmost 
extent. 

He  was  of  ordinary  stature,  without  any 
blanket,  his  long,  black  hair  hanging  loosely 
down  upon  his  shoulders,  his  scarred  and  ugly 
countenance  daubed  and  smeared  with  different 
colored  paint,  his  chest  bare,  and  ornamented  in 
the  same  fashion,  a  knife  at  his  girdle,  and  a  long, 
formidable  rifle  in  his  hand — such  were  the  notice- 

3 


34  IN  THE  PECOS   COUNTRY. 

able  characteristics,  to  a  superficial  observer,  of 
Lone  Wolf,  the  Apache  chief — for  the  Indian  con- 
fronting Fred  Munson  was  really  he,  and  no  one 
else. 

The  lad  suspected  the  identity  of  the  red-skin, 
although,  having  never  seen  him,  it  amounted 
only  to  a  suspicion.  No  matter  who  he  was, 
however,  he  was  prepared  for  him. 

The  Apache  showed  his  usual  cunning.  He  was 
evidently  attempting  to  steal  upon  the  sentinels, 
and,  having  risen  to  his  feet,  he  remained  motion- 
less and  upright,  listening  for  any  sign  that  might 
betray  any  motion  of  the  individuals  whom  he 
was  seeking  to  slay,  as  does  the  assassin  at 
night. 

"He  must  have  been  after  me,  for  he  is  right 
behind  where  I  stood,"  thought  the  boy,  as  he 
grasped  his  rifle  more  firmly  than  ever,  resolved 
to  fire  upon  the  wretch  the  moment  he  attempted 
to  advance. 

Lone  Wolf  stood  but  a  minute  in  the  position 
described,  when,  seemingly,  he  was  satisfied  that 
the  way  was  clear,  and,  throwing  one  moccasin 
on  the  trunk,  he  climbed  over  as  silently  as  a 
shadow,  and  stood  again  bolt  upright  upon  the 
other  side.  This  brought  the  Indian  and  boy 


IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY.  35 

within  ten  feet  of  each  other,  and  still  the  advant- 
age was  all  upon  the  side  of  the  latter,  who  stood 
in  such  deep  shadow  that  he  was  not  only  invis- 
ible, but  his  presence  was  unsuspected. 

The  Indian  was  not  gazing  in  the  direction  of 
the  lad,  but  seemed  to  turn  his  attention  more  to 
the  left,  toward  the  spot  where  Mickey  O'Rooney, 
the  Irishman,  was  stationed.  In  ignoring  the 
proximity  of  a  boy,  it  cannot  be  said  that  he 
acted  unreasonably. 

Lone  Wolf  remained  like  a  carven  statue  for  a 
few  seconds  longer,  and  then  began  a  cautious 
movement  forward.  In  the  moonlight,  Fred  could 
observe  the  motion  of  the  foot,  and  the  gradual 
advance  of  the  body.  He  felt  that  it  would  not 
do  to  defer  any  longer  his  intention  of  obstructing 
him.  If  permitted  to  go  on  in  this  manner,  he 
might  kill  Mickey  O'Rooney,  and  bring  down  a 
whole  host  of  red-skins  upon  the  sleeping  settlers, 
cutting  them  off  to  a  man. 

Fred  had  his  rifle  to  his  shoulder,  and  pointed 
toward  the  Indian.  Suddenly  stepping  forward, 
he  placed  himself  in  the  moonlight,  and,  with  the 
muzzle  of  his  piece  almost  at  the  breast  of  the 
chief,  he  said : 


36  IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY. 

"Another  step  forward,  and  I'll  bore  you 
through!" 

The  lad  did  not  stop  to  consider  whether  it  was 
likely  that  the  Indian  understood  the  English 
tongue;  but,  as  it  happened,  Lone  Wolf  could  use 
it  almost  as  if  to  the  manner  born;  and  it  would 
have  required  no  profound  linguistic  knowledge 
upon  the  part  of  anyone  to  have  comprehended 
the  meaning  of  the  young  hero.  It  was  one  of 
those  situations  in  which  gesture  told  the  mean- 
ing more  plainly  than  mere  words  could  have 
done.  But  if  ever  there  was  an  astonished  abor- 
igine, Lone  Wolf  was  the  same. 

It  was  not  often  that  such  a  wily  warrior  as  he 
was  caught  napping,  but  he  was  completely  out- 
witted on  the  present  occasion.  When  he  saw  the 
muzzle  of  the  rifle  pointed  straight  at  his  breast, 
he  knew  what  it  meant,  even  though  the  weapon 
was  in  the  hands  of  a  boy.  It  meant  that  any 
attempt  on  his  part  to  raise  his  gun  or  draw  his 
tomahawk  or  knife,  would  be  met  by  the  dis- 
charge of  the  threatening  weapon,  and  his  own 
passage  from  time  into  eternity.  So  he  stared 
at  the  la.d  a  moment,  and  then  demanded  in 
good  English: 

"  What  does  my  brother  want  ?  " 


IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY.  37 

"I  want  you  to  leave,  just  as  quickly  as  you 
know  how,  and  never  show  yourself  here  again." 

"Lone  Wolf's  wigwam  is  many  miles  away," 
replied  the  Indian,  pointing  northward,  "and  he 
is  on  his  way  there  now." 

Fred  started  a  little  at  this  terrible  chieftain's 
name ;  but  he  held  his  gun  pointed  steadily  towards 
him,  determined  to  fire  the  instant  he  attempted 
the  least  hostile  movement,  for  his  own  salvation 
depended  upon  such  a  prompt  check-mating  of  his 
enemy. 

An  Indian  is  always  ready  to  make  the  best  of 
his  situation,  and  Lone  Wolf  saw  that  he  was 
fairly  caught.  Still,  he  acted  cautiously,  in  the 
hope  of  throwing  the  young  hero  off  his  guard,  so 
as  to  permit  him  to  crush  him  as  suddenly  as  if  by 
a  panther's  spring. 

"If  your  wigwam  is  there,  it  is  time  you  were 
home,"  said  Fred.  "We  are  on  the  lookout  for 
such  customers  as  you,  and  if  any  of  the  others  see 
you  they  won't  let  you  off  so  easy  as  I  do.  So  the 
best  thing  is  for  you  to  leave." 

Lone  Wolf  made  no  direct  reply  to  this,  except  to 
take  a  step  toward  the  side  of  the  lad,  as  if  it  were 
involuntary,  and  intended  to  further  the  conveni- 


58  IN   THE  PECOS  COUNTRY. 

ence  of  conversation;  but  Fred  suspected  his  pur- 
pose, and  warned  him  back. 

"Lone  Wolf,  if  you  want  to  carry  your  life  away 
with  you,  you  will  go  at  once.  I  don't  want  to 
shoot  you,  but  if  you  come  any  nearer  or  wait  any 
longer,  I'll  fire.  I'm  tired  of  holding  this  gun,  and 
it  may  go  off  itself." 

The  Apache  chief  made  no  answer,  but,  with  his 
eyes  fixed  upon  the  lad,  took  a  step  backward,  as 
an  earnest  of  his  intention  of  obeying.  Reaching 
the  log,  he  hastily  clambered  over  it  and  speedily 
vanished  like  a  phantom  in  the  gloom  of  the  wood 
beyond,  leaving  the  boy  master  of  the  field. 


CHAPTER  V. 

THE  APACHES  ARE  COMING. 

As  soon  as  Lone  Wolf  was  out  of  sight,  young 
Munson  stepped  back  in  the  shadow  of  the  wood, 
and  quickly  placed  himself  behind  the  trunk  of  a 
large  tree.  He  had  learned  the  nature  of  the  Indian 
race  too  well  for  him  to  give  this  precious  specimen 
any  chance  to  circumvent  him.  Had  he  remained 
standing  in  the  moonlight  opening,  after  the 
Apache  entered  the  wood,  the  latter  could  not 
have  had  a  better  opportunity  to  pick  him  off 
without  danger  to  himself.  Had  he  meditated  any 
such  purpose,  when  he  wheeled  to  fire  the  shot 
there  would  have  been  no  target  visible. 

The  strained  ear  of  the  lad  could  not  detect  the 
slightest  rustling  that  might  betray  the  where- 
abouts of  the  dreaded  chief,  and  Fred  knew  better 
than  to  expect  any  such  advantage  as  that  which 
he  had  just  permitted  to  pass  through  his  hands. 
But  what  would  Lone  Wolf  do  ?  This  was  the  all- 
important  question.  Would  he  sneak  off  through 

39 


40  IN  THE   PECOS   COUNTRY. 

the  wood  and  out  of  the  valley,  and  would  he  be 
seen  and  heard  no  more  that  night  ?  or  would  he 
return  to  revenge  himself  for  the  injury  to  his 
pride  ?  Was  he  alone  in  the  grove,  or  were  there 
a  half  dozen  brother-demons  sulking  among  the 
undergrowth,  like  so  many  rattlesnakes,  except 
that  they  did  not  give  any  warning  before  striking 
their  blow  ?  Had  any  of  them  visited  Mickey  or 
Thompson,  and  was  a  general  attack  about  to  be 
made  upon  the  settlement?  Such  questions  as 
these  surged  through  the  mind  of  Fred,  as  he  stood 
leaning  against  the  tree,  rifle  in  hand,  listening, 
looking,  and  thinking. 

Suddenly  he  gave  utterance  to  a  low  whistle, 
which  he  was  accustomed  to  use  as  a  signal  in 
communicating  with  Mickey.  It  was  almost 
instantly  answered,  in  a  way  which  indicated  that 
the  Irishman  was  approaching.  A  minute  later 
the  two  were  together.  The  lad  hastily  related 
his  stirring  adventure  with  the  great  Apache  Avar- 
chief,  and,  as  may  be  imagined,  Mickey  was  dum- 
founded. 

"It's  meself  that  hasn't  seen  or  heard  the  least 
sign  of  one  of  the  spalpeens  since  the  set  of  sun, 
and  thev've  been  about  us  all  the  time." 


IN  THE   PECOS   COUNTRY.  41 

"How  was  it  they  got  here  without  being 
seen?  " 

"There  be  plenty  ways  of  doing  the  same. 
They've  found  out  that  we  were  watching  this 
pint,  and  so  they  slipped  round  and  came  the  other 
way." 

"Do  you  think  they  will  attack  us  to-night?  " 

"I'm  thinkin'  they're  only  making  observations, 
as  me  uncle  obsarved,  when  he  was  cotched  in  the 
house  of  Larry  O'Mulligan,  and  they'll  be  down 
on  us  some  time,  when  everything  is  ready." 

"It  seems  to  me  it  is  a  poor  time  to  make 
observations — in  the  night." 

"The  red-skin  is  like  an  owl,"  replied  Mickey. 
"  He  can  see  much  better  at  night  than  he  can  by 
day;  but  there's  Thompson;  let  us  see  whether 
some  of  the  spalpeens  haven't  made  a  call  upon 
him  in  the  darkness.  Be  aisy  now,  in  stepping 
over  the  leaves,  for  an  Injin  hears  with  his  fingers 
and  toes  as  well  as  his  ears." 

The  Hibernian  led  the  way,  each  advancing  with 
all  the  caution  at  his  command,  and  using  such 
stealth  and  deliberation  in  their  movements  that 
some  ten  or  fifteen  minutes  were  consumed  in  pass- 
ing over  the  intervening  space.  At  last,  however, 


42  IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY. 

the  spot  was  reached  where  they  had  bidden 
good-bye  to  their  friend,  earlier  in  the  evening. 

"Here's  about  the  place,"  said  Mickey,  looking 
about  him ;  " but  I  doesn't  observe  the  gintleman, 
by  the  token  of  which  he  must  have  strayed  away. 
Hilloa!" 

He  repeated  the  call  in  a  low,  cautious  voice,  but 
still  loud  enough  to  be  heard  a  dozen  yards  or 
more  from  where  he  stood ;  but  no  response  came, 
and,  although  neither  of  the  two  gave  any  expres- 
sion to  it,  yet  they  were  sensible  of  a  growing  fear 
that  this  absence  or  silence  of  their  friend  had  a 
most  serious  meaning. 

"Yonder  he  is  now,"  suddenly  exclaimed  Fred. 
"He's  a  great  sentinel,  too,  for  he's  sound  asleep." 

The  stalwart  figure  of  Thompson  was  seen 
seated  upon  the  ground,  with  his  back  against  a 
tree,  and  his  chin  on  his  breast,  like  one  sunk  in  a 
deep  slumber.  The  sentinel  had  seated  himself  on 
the  edge  of  the  grove,  where  all  the  trees  and 
undergrowth  were  behind,  and  the  open  space  in 
front  of  him.  At  the  time  of  doing  so,  no  doubt 
his  figure  was  enveloped  in  the  shadow,  but  since 
then  the  moon  had  climbed  so  high  in  the  sky  that 
its  rays  fell  upon  his  entire  person,  and  the  instant 


IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY.  43 

the  two  chanced  to  glance  in  that  direction,  they 
saw  him  with  startling  distinctness. 

"Begorrah!  if  that  doesn't  bate  the  mischief!  " 
exclaimed  Mickey,  impatiently,  as  he  looked  at  his 
unconscious  friend.  "  I  thought  he  was  the  gintle- 
man  that  had  traveled,  and  knew  all  about  these 
copper-colored  spalpeens.  S'pose  we'  all  done  the 
same,  Lone  Wolf  and  his  Apaches  would  have  had 
all  our  skulp-locks  hanging  at  their  goordles  by 
this  time.  I  say,  Thompson,  ain't  you  ashamed  of 
yourself  to  be  wastin'  your  time  in  this  fashion  ?  " 

As  he  spoke,  he  stooped  down,  and  seizing  the 
arm  of  the  man,  shook  it  quite  hard  several  times, 
but  without  waking  him. 

"  Begorrah,  but  he  acts  as  if  he  hadn't  a  week  of 
sleep  since  he  had  emigrated  to  the  West.  I  say, 
Thompson,  me  ould  boy,  can't  ye  arouse  up  and 
bid  us  good  night?  " 

While  Mickey  was  speaking  in  this  jocose  man- 
ner, he  had  again  seized  the  man,  but  this  time  by 
the  shoulder.  At  the  first  shake  the  head  of  the 
man  fell  forward,  as  if  he  were  a  wooden  image 
knocked  out  of  poise. 

The  singularity  of  the  move  struck  Mickey,  who 
abruptly  ceased  his  jests,  raised  the  drooping 


44  IN   THE   PECOS  COUNTRY. 

head,  and  stooped  down  and  peered  into  it.  One 
quick,  searching  glance  told  the  terrible  truth. 

"Be  the  h  owly  powers,  bathe's  dead!"  gasped 
the  horrified  Irishman,  starting  back,  and  then 
stooping  still  lower,  and  hurriedly  examining  him. 

"What  killed  him?"  asked  the  terrified  Fred, 
gazing  upon  the  limp  figure. 

"Lone  Wolf,  the  hay  then  blackguard.  See  here," 
added  Mickey,  in  a  stern  voice,  as  he  wheeled  about 
and  faced  his  young  friend,  "you  told  me  you  had 
your  gun  pinted  at  that  spalpeen ;  now  it's  meself 
that  wants  to  know  why  in  blazes  you  didn't  pull 
the  trigger?" 

"He  hadn't  hurt  me,  Mickey,  and  I  didn't  know 
that  he  had  been  doing  anything  of  this  kind. 
Would  you  have  shot  him,  in  my  place?  " 

The  Irishman  shook  his  head.  It  looked  too 
cowardly  to  send  a  man,  even  though  he  were  an 
Indian,  out  of  the  world  without  an  instant's 
warning. 

"Well,  Thompson  is  done  for,  that's  dead  sure, 
and  we'll  have  to  give  him  a  dacent  burial. 
Whisht,  there !  did  ye  not  hear  somethin'  ?  " 

Footsteps  were  heard  very  distinctly  upon  the 
leaves,  and  the  two  shrank  back  in  the  shadow  of 
the  wood  and  awaited  their  approach,  for  they 


IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY.  45 

were  evidently  coming  that  way.  Something  in 
the  manner  of  walking  betrayed  their  identity, 
and  Mickey  spoke.  The  prompt  answer  showed 
that  they  were  the  two  men  whose  duty  it  was  to 
relieve  Thompson  and  the  Irishman.  They  came 
forward  at  once,  and  when  they  learned  the  truth, 
were,  as  a  matter  of  course,  terribly  shocked. 
They  reported  that  the  sentinels  nearer  the  settle- 
ment had  detected  moving  figures  during  the  night 
skulking  about  the  wood  and  valley,  and  the  sound 
of  horses'  hoofs  left  no  doubt  that  they  were 
Indians  who  had  gone. 

The  death  of  Thompson,  of  course,  was  a  terri- 
ble shock  to  the  new  arrivals,  but  it  was  one  of  the 
incidents  of  border  life,  and  was  accepted  as  such. 
The  two  took  their  stations  unflinchingly,  and 
Mickey  and  Fred  returned  to  the  settlement,  the 
body  of  the  dead  sentry  being  allowed  to  lie  where 
it  was,  under  guard,  until  morning. 

On  the  morrow  the  body  was  given  decent  burial, 
and  the  building  of  the  houses  was  pressed  with 
all  possible  activity,  and  scouts  or  sentinels  were 
stationed  on  all  the  prominent  lookouts. 

Barnwell  was  confident  that  if  no  interruption 
came  about  within  the  next  two  or  three  days,  he 
could  put  the  defenses  in  such  shape  that  they 


4:6  IX   THE  PECOS  COUNTRY. 

could  resist  the  attack  of  any  body  of  Indians; 
but  an  assault  on  that  day  or  the  next  would  be 
a  most  serious  affair,  the  issue  of  which  was 
extremely  doubtful ;  hence  the  necessity  of  pressing 
everything  forward  with  the  utmost  dispatch. 
Fred  rendered  what  assistance  he  could,  but  that 
did  not  amount  to  much,  and,  as  he  possessed  the 
best  eyesight,  he  took  upon  himself  the  duty  of 
sentinel,  taking  his  position  near  the  river,  where 
he  remained  for  something  over  an  hour. 

Nothing  of  an  alarming  character  was  seen,  and, 
thinking  his  standpoint  was  too  depressed  to  give 
him  the  range  of  observation,  he  concluded  to 
climb  one  of  the  trees.  This  was  quickly  done, 
and  when  he  found  himself  in  one  of  the  topmost 
branches  he  was  gratified  with  the  result. 

On  his  right  hand,  he  could  trace  the  winding 
course  of  the  Rio  Pecosfor  several  miles,  the  banks 
here  and  there  fringed  with  wood  and  stunted 
undergrowth.  His  attitute\vas  such  that  hecould 
see  over  the  tops  of  the  trees  in  his  rear,  and 
observe  his  friends  busily  at  w^ork  as  so  many 
beavers,  while  off  on  the  left,  stretched  on  the 
prairies,  with  the  faint  bluish  outlines  of  moun- 
tains in  the  distance.  All  at  once  the  eye  of  the 
boy  was  arrested  by  the  figure  of  a  horseman  in 


IX   THE   PECOS  COUNTRY.  47 

the  west.  He  was  coming  with  the  speed  of  a 
whirlwind,  and  heading  straight  toward  the  set- 
tlement. 

Fred,  wondering  what  it  could  mean,  watched 
him  with  an  intensity  of  interest  that  can  scarcely 
be  imagined.  At  first  he  supposed  him  to  be  a  fugi- 
tive fleeing  from  the  Indians ;  but  none  of  the  latter 
could  be  seen  on  the  right,  left  or  in  the  rear,  and 
so  he  concluded  that  that  explanation  would  not 
answer. 

The  speed  soon  brought  the  horseman  within 
hail.  As  he  neared  the  Rio  Pecos  valley,  he  rose  in 
his  stirrups,  and  swung  his  hat  in  an  excited  man- 
ner. At  that  moment  Fred  recognized  him  as  Sut 
Simpson,  the  scout,  whose  voice  rang  out  as  start- 
ling and  clear  as  that  of  a  stentor. 

"The  Apaches  are  coming!  The  Apaches  are 
coming!  Lone  Wolf  will  be  down  on  yer  quicker'n 
lightnin' ! " 


CHAPTER  VI. 

THE  APACHE  ATTACK. 

"THE  Apaches  are  coming!  The  Apaches  are 
coming!"  shouted  Sut  Simpson,  as  his  mustang 
thundered  up  to  the  edge  of  the  valley,  while  his 
clear,  powerful  voice  rang  out  like  a  bugle. 

The  words  were  startling  enough,  and  the  sud- 
den dropping  of  a  dozen  bombshells  among  the 
unfinished  dwellings  of  New  Boston  could  not  have 
created  greater  consternation,  emphasized  as  they 
were  by  the  towering  form  of  the  hunter  and 
steed,  who  looked  as  if  they  had  been  fired  from 
the  throat  of  some  immense  Columbiad,  and  had 
not  as  yet  recovered  from  their  bewilderment. 
There  was  some  system,  however,  in  the  move- 
ments of  the  pioneers,  for  there  was  ever  present 
in  their  thoughts  the  very  danger  which  had  now 
come  upon  them  so  suddenly. 

In  the  structure  which  was  nearest  completion 
were  placed  the  dozen  women  and  children,  while 
the  other  houses  that  were  in  a  condition  to  afford 
the  means  of  defense  were  taken  possession  of  by 

48 


IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY.  49 

the  men,  gun  in  hand,  ready  to  defend  themselves 
to  the  last.  Fortunately  enough,  the  horses  hap- 
pened to  be  corraled  within  the  inclosure,  so  that, 
unless  the  defense  should  utterly  fail,  there  was 
little  danger  of  their  being  stampeded  by  the 
Indians. 

While  these  hurried  preparations  were  going  on, 
the  hunter  remained  seated  upon  his  mustang, 
looking  down  upon  the  pioneers  with  a  gathering 
calmness,  as  though  he  were  a  general  watching 
the  evolutions  of  his  army.  Now  and  then  he 
anxiously  gazed  off  over  the  prairie,  his  manner 
showing  that  he  was  mentally  comparing  the 
speed  of  the  approaching  Apaches  with  that  of  the 
labors  of  his  friends. 

To  Fred  Munson,  perched  in  the  top  of  the  lofty 
tree,  the  whole  scene  seemed  like  a  hurrying  pano- 
rama of  a  dream.  He  never  once  thought  of  his 
own  personal  danger,  in  the  intensity  of  his  inter- 
est in  what  was  going  on  before  his  eyes. 

The  hunter  had  scarcely  checked  his  mustang 
when  the  lad  saw  the  Apaches  appear  upon  a  ridge 
some  distance  behind.  It  was  less  than  two  miles 
away,  and  they  all  dashed  over  at  the  place  where 
the  avant  cowr/erhad  come  at  his  break-neck  pace ; 
and  as  soon  as  they  were  all  over,  and  stretching 

4 


50  IN   THE   PECOS   COUNTRY. 

away  in  the  direction  of  the  settlement,  Fred  had 
some  chance  of  estimating  their  number. 

"There  must  be  a  thousand  of  them,"  he  mut- 
tered, in  a  terrified  voice.  "They  will  murder  us 
all — none  can  get  away." 

His  imagination,  however,  intensified  matters. 
The  Apaches  numbered  several  hundred,  and, 
armed  to  the  teeth  as  they  were,  brave,  daring, 
and  mounted  upon  the  best  of  horses,  they  were 
as  formidable  a  party  as  if  they  were  composed  of 
so  many  white  desperadoes  of  the  border.  A 
month  before  they  would  have  walked  over  this 
party  of  pioneers;  but  there  is  no  teacher  like 
experience,  and  in  the  long  journey  across  the 
plains,  marked  by  innumerable  skirmishes  with 
the  red-skins,  the  settlers  had  acquired  a  coolness 
and  steadiness  under  fire  which  was  invaluable 
in  such  emergencies  as  this. 

Sut  Simpson  still  maintained  his  position,  glanc- 
ing from  the  settlement  below  him  to  the 
approaching  Apaches,  with  that  quick,  nervous 
motion  which  showed  only  too  plainly  that  he  felt 
a  crisis  was  at  hand,  and  he  could  delay  only  a 
few  moments  longer. 

It  was  a  thrilling  sight,  the  hurried  preparations 
of  the  pioneers,  and  the  swift  approach  of  their 


IN   THE  PECOS  COUNTRY. 


assailants.  The  latter  came  in  no  regular  order, 
but  swept  along  like  so  many  Centaurs,  at  first 
well  together,  but,  as  they  approached  the  valley, 
gradually  separating  and  spreading  out,  like  a 
slowly  opening  fan,  until  the  crescent  was  several 
hundred  yards  in  breadth,  and  it  looked  as  if  they 
intended  to  surround  the  settlement. 

Such  being  their  apparent  purpose,  the  hunter 
speedily  saw  that  it  would  not  do  to  stay  another 
second.  He  had  come  to  warn  the  whites  of  their 
danger,  and  now  that  it  had  burst  upon  them,  he 
emphasized  his  good  intentions  by  dashing  down 
the  valley,  and,  leaping  from  the  back  of  his  mus- 
tang, took  his  place  among  a  dozen  defenders  who 
were  gathered  in  the  building  with  the  women 
and  children. 

His  horse  was  covered  with  foam  and  sweat,  for 
his  master  had  ridden  like  Paul  Revere,  and  he 
needed  the  rest  that  was  now  given  him.  He  pos- 
sessed extraordinary  intelligence,  and  Sut  knew 
that  he  could  be  thoroughly  depended  upon  in  case 
matters  got  mixed,  and  astampedewas  attempted 
by  the  assailants. 

There  was  no  dilly-dallying.  The  most  serious 
kind  of  business  impended,  and  all  were  forced  to 
prepare  for  it.  In  a  twinkling,  as  it  seemed,  the 


52  IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY. 

hurry,  bustle,  and  confusion  suddedly  ceased. 
Everything  settled  down  into  quiet,  and  the 
defenders,  with  their  loaded  rifles,  calmly  awaited 
the  assault  that  was  soon  to  be  made. 

As  the  Apaches  neared  the  valley,  they  gradu- 
ally slackened  their  speed,  but  all  reached  the  mar- 
gin, from  which  they  could  look  down  upon  the 
pioneers,  with  their  steeds  upon  a  gallop,  and 
then,  without  checking  them,  branched  still  fur- 
ther apart,  and,  speeding  down  the  slope,  began 
the  battle  forthwith. 

In  an  instant  the  sharp  crack !  crack !  of  rifles 
was  heard  from  different  directions,  as  the  Apaches 
opened  fire  upon  the  whites,  who  showed  an  equal 
readiness  in  replying.  The  Indians  never  allowed 
their  steeds  to  rest.  They  were  constantly  in 
motion,  back  and  forth,  round  and  round,  circling 
here  and  there,  seemingly  at  times  in  inextricable 
confusion,  but  with  a  certain  system,  as  shown  in 
the  evolutions  of  a  large  party  upon  a  stage,  and 
with  the  result  of  never  interfering  with  one 
another's  efficiency. 

Some  of  the  Apaches,  in  the  very  wantonness  of 
their  skillful  horsemanship,  threw  themselves  from 
side  to  side  upon  the  backs  of  their  steeds,  firing 
under  the  neck  or  belly  with  as  much  accuracy  as 


IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY.  53 

if  from  the  saddle.  None  of  them  were  furnished 
with  the  regulation  saddle;  some  had  blankets, 
while  the  most  were  mounted  bareback.  Their 
skill  was  little  short  of  the  marvelous.  Again  and 
again,  one  of  the  red-skins  would  make  a  lunge 
over  the  side  of  his  animal,  as  though  he  were 
going  to  plunge  headlong  into  the  earth;  but, 
catching  his  toe  over  the  spine  of  his  horse,  he 
would  sustain  himself  apparently  by  no  other 
means,  while  he  kept  up  his  fusilade.  When  his 
horse  wheeled,  so  as  to  expose  the  rider  to  the  fire 
of  the  whites,  the  Indian  would  quickly  swing 
over  the  other  side,  where  he  would  continue  the 
same  demonstrations. 

Thus  it  was  that  within  five  minutes  after  the 
Apaches  came  down  in  the  valley,  the  settlement 
was  surrounded  by  the  several  hundred,  who  were 
circling  back  and  forth,  and  sending  in  their  shots, 
whenever  the  opportunity  presented  itself. 

The  wood  to  which  frequent  reference  has  been 
made,  it  will  be  remembered,  was  situated  some 
distance  from  the  settlement,  and,  as  Fred  Munson 
was  perched  in  a  tree  upon  the  other  side,  many  of 
the  gyrating  horsemen  were  frequently  shut  out 
from  his  view  by  the  intervening  trees ;  but  enough 
was  constantly  in  view  to  keep  his  excitement  up 


54  IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY. 

to  the  highest  pitch,  and  to  cause  him  to  forget  his 
own  prominence  as  a  target. 

As  has  been  already  said,  the  settlers,  from 
behind  their  intrenchments,  were  prompt  in  return- 
ing the  fire  of  their  assailants.  The  effect  upon 
persons  who  had  never  been  brought  in  collision 
with  Indians  would  have  been  to. bewilder  and 
te'rrify  them.  It  is  very  probable  that  such  was 
one  of  the  principal  objects  of  the  Apaches  in  mak- 
ing their  attack  as  they  did ;  but  it  failed  utterly 
in  that  respect.  Carefully  avoiding  any  exposure 
of  themselves,  they  popped  away  right  and  left, 
the  reports  of  the  rifles  mingling  together,  while 
the  warriors,  as  they  tumbled  to  the  ground  here 
and  there,  showed  how  effectual  the  defense  of  the 
pioneers  was. 

The  A  paches  scarcely  expected  such  a  vigorous 
defense,  and,  after  losing  several  of  their  best  men, 
they  widened  their  circle  so  as  to  avoid  such  a 
close  range,  and  fired  more  seldom,  but  with 
greater  care. 

New  Boston  was  a  peculiarly  built,  or  rather 
laid  out,  city.  If  Caleb  Barnwell  committed  an 
absurdity  in  attempting  to  plant  a  settlement  in 
the  valley  of  the  Rio  Pecos,  when  the  entire  sur- 
rounding country  was  hostile,  he  showed  some 


IN  THE   PECOS  COUNTRY.  55 

t  - 

wisdom  in  the  manner  in  which  he  conducted 
matters  after  the  attempt  was  made.  The  town 
was  in  an  irregular  circle,  with  a  grassy  court  in 
the  centre,  in  which  were  pitched  their  horses. 

Knowing  how  indispensable  these  animals  were 
to  men  in  such  circumstances,  there  could  be  but 
little  doubt  that  the  Apaches  would  make  a  des- 
perate attempt  to  stampede  them,  and  the  whites 
were  therefore  on  the  look-out  for  such  an  effort. 
Not  only  Sut  Simpson,  but  Barnwell  and  a  num- 
ber of  the  principal  men,  held  fire  after  the  first 
repulse,  so  as  to  meet  such  an  essay  at  the  very 
instant  it  was  attempted. 

The  Apaches  edged  away  some  distance,  under 
the  galling  fire  of  the  pioneers,  until  the  watchful 
hunter  saw  them  hurriedly  massing  on  the  slope 
above.  He  knew  the  meaning  of  that  the  moment 
he  perceived  the  action. 

"  Be  ready !  they're  coming  for  the  animals !  "  he 
shouted,  in  a  voice  so  loud  that  the  words  were 
distinctly  heard  by  Fred  Munson  from  his  perch  in 
the  tree. 

All  those  who  held  empty  rifles  hastily  reloaded 
them,  and  the  others,  raising  the  hammers  of  their 
weapons,  fixed  their  eyes  upon  the  hideously 
painted  forms,  which  resembled  so  many  demons 


56  IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY. 

• 

about  to  sweep  down  upon  them.  There  was 
barely  time  for  preparation,  and  in  another  min- 
ute the  horde  came  rushing  down  the  slope,  like  a 
mountain  torrent,  their  objective  point  being  the 
square  where  the  horses  were  secured.  Before 
they  could  reach  them,  however,  the  settlers 
poured  in  their  most  murderous  volleys,  bringing 
many  a  glaring  red-skin  to  earth,  wounding  a 
number  of  their  animals,  and  creating  such  a 
panic  that  the  foremost  swerved  off  to  the  right 
and  dashed  up  the  valley,  followed  by  the  others, 
while  the  property  of  the  whites  remained  unin- 
jured. 

The  first  attack  of  the  Apaches  resulted  in  a 
repulse,  and  that,  too,  when  led  by  Lone  Wolf; 
but  the  peril  was  not  past.  That  war-chief  had 
learned  the  situation  fully,  and  there  was  no  dan- 
ger of  his  repeating  this  blunder.  The  next  time 
he  was  sure  to  succeed. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

IN  A  TREE. 

ALL  this  passed  in  much  less  time  than  has  been 
necessary  to  describe  it.  Not  until  Fred  Munson 
saw  that  the  Apaches  were  repulsed  did  he  reflect 
upon  the  startling  fact  that  there  was  no  one 
among  all  the  settlers  that  was  placed  in  as  peril- 
ous a  position  as  he. 

The  red-skins  were  between  him  and  the  houses, 
or  fortifications,  as  they  may  be  considered.  He 
was  alone,  and  although  he  had  no  gun  in  his  pos- 
session, yet  it  cannot  be  supposed  that  his  situa- 
tion would  have  been  any  less  dangerous  on  that 
account.  In  the  excitement  of  interest,  he  had 
climbed  to  the  highest  attainable  portion  of  the 
tree,  where  he  not  only  had  a  good  view  of  the 
thrilling  contest  going  on  under  his  very  eyes,  but 
where  the  contestants  themselves,  had  they  chosen 
to  glance  toward  him,  could  have  obtained  an 
equally  good  view  of  him.  Whether  or  not  they 
had  done  so  remained  to  be  seen. 

"My  stars!    I  hope   they  haven't  seen    me," 

57 


58  IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY. 

muttered  the  terrified  lad,  as  he  began  retreating 
toward  the  trunk,  with  the  intent  of  descending 
to  the  ground.  "If  they  have,  I'm  a  goner,  that's 
certain." 

The  Apaches,  although  defeated,  and  driven 
beyond  range  of  the  settlers'  rifles,  did  not  with- 
draw altogether.  Reaching  a  point  several  hun- 
dred yards  from  the  houses,  they  continued  mov- 
ing about  on  their  horses,  as  though  reconnoiter- 
ing  from  that  distance.  The  red-skins  did  not  go 
together,  as  would  have  seemed  natural  under  the 
circumstance's,  but  kept  up  that  peculiar  restless 
movement,  as  though  it  were  impossible  for  them 
to  settle  down  into  anything  like  quiet.  This 
action  upon  their  part  threw  a  number  of  the  red 
horsemen  among  the  woods,  where  Fred  was 
perched,  so  that  he  had  every  reason  for  being 
alarmed. 

He  was  a  skillful  climber,  however,  and  when  he 
reached  the  trunk  he  moved  down  it,  with  the 
nimbleness  of  a  monkey,  taking  care,  however,  not 
to  be  too  rapid  or  sudden,  as  the  movement  might 
attract  notice.  Then,  too,  he  had  the  benefit  of  a 
denser  vegetable  growth,  in  which  he  thought  it 
quite  possible  to  conceal  himself  even  from  an 
Indian  passing  beneath. 


IN  THE   PECOS  COUNTRY.  59 

"If  they  haven't  noticed  me,"  he  reflected,  as  he 
crouched  upon  a  limb,  and  looked  and  listened, 
"I've  a  good  chance  of  keeping  out  of  their  sight 
altogether.  It's  a  pity  I  hadn't  had  enough  sense 
to  think  of  all  this  before." 

He  continued  creeping  down  the  tree,  until  he 
was  within  twenty  feet  or  so  of  the  ground,  when 
he  paused,  deeming  it  hardly  safe  to  descend  to  the 
solid  earth  until  matters  looked  a  little  less  threat- 
ening. Fred  was  in  a  bad  predicament,  and  he 
was  sorely  puzzled  to  decide  what  was  best  to  do. 
There  could  be  no  doubt  that  numbers  of  Indians 
were  in  the  wood  around  him,  and  if  he  descended 
to  the  ground  he  ran  that  much  more  danger  of 
falling  into  their  hands.  He  could  not  avoid  a 
strong  suspicion  that  he  had  been  seen,  and  that 
his  movements  had  been  watched  and  understood 
for  some  time  past. 

"I  shouldn't  think  those  Apaches  would  con- 
sider a  boy  like  me  of  much  account,"  he  mut- 
tered; "but  if  they  have  a  chance  to  grab  me,  I 
s'pose  they  will.  I'm  sure  I  saw  Lone  Wolf  at  the 
head  of  the  attacking  party,  and  he'll  want  to 
pay  me  up  for  that  big  scare  I  gave  him  last 
night." 

The  afternoon  was  well  advanced,  and  he  finally 


60  IN  THE   PECOS  COUNTRY. 

concluded  to  stay  where  he  was,  provided  the  red- 
skins permitted  him  to  do  so ;  so  he  crawled  into 
the  place,  where  he  seemed  the  best  protected  by 
the  surrounding  vegetation  and  branches,  and, 
crouching  down,  he  awaited  the  coming  of  dark- 
ness with  an  anxiety  which  can  scarcely  be 
described. 

It  will  be  understood  that  he  had  come  down  so 
low  in  the  tree  that  he  could  see  nothing  of  his 
friends  on  the  other  side  of  the  wood.  He  was  so 
near  the  margin  that  his  view  on  the  right  was 
comparatively  unobstructed.  Occasionally  he 
caught  sight  of  a  horseman  in  the  distance,  but 
the  majority  of  the  red-skins  were  in  other  direc- 
tions. Now  and  then  the  crack  of  a  rifle  broke  the 
stillness,  which  was  so  perfect  that  he  distinctly 
caught  the  sound  of  the  hoofs  of  the  mustangs,  as 
they  whirled  and  spun  hither  and  thither. 

When  one  is  placed  in  such  a  position  as  was 
Fred,  his  imagination  is  sure  to  be  very  active, 
and.  time  and  again,  he  was  sure  that  he  heard 
the  stealthy  tread  of  a  moccasin  upon  the  leaves 
below.  All  this,  however,  was  not  imagination; 
for  he  had  not  been  on  his  perch  more  than  half  an 
hour,  when,  peering  downward  through  the  leaves, 
he  saw  the  unmistakable  figure  of  an  Indian,  glid- 


IX  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY.  61 

ing  along  in  the  stealthy  manner  peculiar  to  that 
race.  The  heart  of  the  lad  throbbed  violently, 
and  he  grasped  the  limb  more  tightly,  watching 
every  movement  of  the  red-skin. 

"He  must  be  looking  for  me,"  was  his  thought. 
"He  saw  me  in  the  tree,  and  he  has  now  come  to 
kill  or  take  me  away." 

He  was  sure  that  that  particular  Apache  was 
not  Lone  Wolf,  although  he  could  not  be  certain 
that  any  advantage  was  to  be  reaped  from  that. 
The  chief  was  not  likely  to  be  more  devoid  of  any- 
thing like  mercy  than  was  the  greatest  or  humblest 
of  his  warriors. 

The  red-skin  was  on  foot,  and  bore  a  rifle  in  his 
hand.  Instead  of  the  fanciful  scalp-lock  ornament- 
ing his  crown,  his  black,  wiry  hair  straggled  down 
around  his  shoulders,  over  which  was  thrown  a 
dirty  army  blanket,  that  had  once  belonged  to  the 
United  States  government.  The  hideous  paint 
upon  his  face  was  easily  seen  from  the  perch  of 
the  lad,  and  the  red-skin  was  as  repulsive  and 
dreaded  an  object  as  can  be  imagined. 

The  scamp  was  moving  along  with  that  stealthy, 
cat-like  tread  which  is  characteristic  of  all  his  race; 
but  although  directly  under  the  tree  when  first 
seen  by  the  lad,  he  did  not  look  up  nor  act  in  any 


62  IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY. 

way  which  would  suggest  that  he  suspected  the 
presence  of  any  one  over  him.  He  did  not  hesitate 
in  his  movement,  and  thus  it  was  that  he  was 
scarcely  seen  when  he  disappeared  in  the  wood 
beyond,  and  the  boy  was  alone. 

Fred  was  now  fully  satisfied  that  it  would  not 
do  to  leave  the  tree  so  long  as  a  particle  of  day- 
light remained.  Apaches  were  too  plentiful  in 
those  parts. 

"I  s'pose  they'll  hang  around  till  night,  though 
I  can't  see  what  they're  going  to  make  by  it,"  said 
the  boy  to  himself.  "They've  tried  to  clear  out 
Mr.  Barnwell  and  the  rest  of  them,  but  could  n't 
begin  to  do  it,  and  now  it  won't  do  them  any 
good  to  stay  here.  It'll  be  pretty  risky  for  me  to 
try  and  get  into  the  house  after  dark,  but  they 
know  I  am  out  here  and  they  will  be  looking  for 
me.  And  then  Mickey — " 

At  the  mention  of  the  Irishman's  name,  Fred 
suddenly  stopped  with  a  start,  for  he  was 
reminded  of  a  fact  which  had  escaped  him  until 
that  moment.  Mickey  O'Rooney  had  gone  out  on 
a  little  scout  of  his  own,  some  hours  before,  and 
he  had  not  yet  returned,  so  that  his  situation,  in 
one  sense,  was  like  his  own.  But  he  manifestly 
had  greater  advantage,  for  he  was  not  only  fully 


IN  THK  PECOS  COUNTRY.  63 

armed,  but  was  mounted  on  one  of  the  fleetest 
mustangs  of  the  West;  so  that,  unless  he  ran 
into  some  trao,  he  need  fear  no  disturbance  from 
them. 

"I  only  wish  I  was  with  him,"  reflected  Fred, 
"mounted  upon  Hurricane.  I  wouldn't  mind  a 
little  run  into  some  of  these  Apaches  that  think 
they  are  such  wonderful  riders." 

As  has  been  intimated  in  another  place,  young 
Munson  had  been  furnished  with  one  of  the  finest 
of  prairie  steeds — one  whovse  speed,  endurance,  and 
intelligence  was  extraordinary.  There  was  nat- 
urally a  great  attachment  between  the  two,  and 
Fred  would  have  been  off  most  of  the  time,  skim- 
ming over  the  prairie,  had  he  been  allowed  to  do 
so,  but  Hurricane  was  in  the  group  in  the  centre 
of  the  settlement,  with  the  others,  which  the 
Indians  had  tried  so  hard  to  stampede,  and  he  was 
as  difficult  to  reach,  under  the  circumstances,  as 
were  his  friends  themselves. 


CHAPTER   VIII. 

THE  SWOOP  OF  THE  APACHE. 

THE  afternoon  dragged  slowly  by  with  Fred 
crouching,  as  he  was,  in  the  top  of  the  tree  and 
waiting  for  the  time  to  come  when  he  might 
descend  and  make  the  attempt  to  rejoin  his  friends, 
who  could  not  but  be  greatly  concerned  over  his 
absence.  At  rare  intervals,  the  spiteful  crack  of  a 
rifle  reached  his  ear  as  before,  and  he  knew  that 
the  white  and  red  men  were  watching  each  other, 
both  ready  to  seize  the  first  opportunity  that 
might  offer  for  obtaining  the  slighest  advantage. 
The  occasional  clamping  of  the  hoofs  of  a  gallop- 
ing horse  showed,  too,  that  his  dreaded  foes  were 
close  at  hand. 

Finally,  the  sun  disappeared,  and  darkness 
slowly  settled  over  wood,  forest,  and  prairie. 
There  was  the  moon,  shining  as  bright  and 
unclouded  as  on  the  night  before;  but  the  shadow 
was  so  dense  among  the  trees  that  this  was  of  no 
particular  importance,  and  so  soon  as  night  was 

64 


MfSTANG    CAME    WITH    AKROV.     fWTFTXESS.       Page  7O. 


IN  THE   PECOS  COUNTRY.  65 

fairly  come  the  impatient  lad  was  resolved  upon 
making  the  attempt  to  reach  his  friends. 

No  Apaches  had  been  seen  beneath  the  tree  since 
the  departure  of  the  first  stealthy  visitor,  and  the 
hope  was  quite  strong  within  the  lad  that  in  the 
hurry  and  swirl  of  the  fight  the  red-skins  had  failed 
to  note  him  in  his  hiding-place.  If  such  were  really 
the  case,  it  would  seem  that  there  was  a  chance 
of  his  passing  through  the  lines  without  detection. 

"Anyhow,  I  am  going  to  try  it,"  he  muttered, 
with  set  teeth,  as  he  resumed  his  cautious  descent 
of  the  tree. 

A  moment  later  he  found  himself  upon  the  nether- 
most limb,  where  he  hesitated  a  few  seconds,  peer- 
ing around  in  the  breathless  darkness  and  listening 
for  anything  that  might  betray  the  location  of  his 
enemies.  The  silence  of  the  tomb  seemed  to  have 
settled  upon  the  earth,  and,  hanging  by  his  hands 
a  moment,  he  let  go  and  dropped  lightly  to  the 
ground.  As  he  did  so,  he  purposely  sank  upon  his 
hands  and  knees,  in  the  belief  that  he  was  less 
liable  to  be  seen  in  that  position  than  in  any 
other. 

The  signs  continued  favorable,  and,  without  any 
useless  waiting,  he  turned  his  face  in  the  direction 
of  New  Boston  and  began  stealing  forward,  with 

0 


66  IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY. 

the  care  and  caution  of  a  veteran  courser  of  the 
plains.  There  was  a  fluttering  hope  that,  with 
the  coming  of  night,  the  red-skins  had  departed, 
but  he  knew  better  than  to  rely  upon  any  such 
chance  to  reach  his  friends.  If  they  had  really 
gone,  he  would  have  heard  something  from  Sut 
Simpson. 

No  more  trying  ordeal  can  be  imagined  than 
that  which  Fred  endured  \vhen  he  attempted  thus 
to  steal  his  way  through  the  Apache  lines  to  his 
friends.  He  crept  along  upon  his  hands  and  knees, 
for  he  dared  not  trust  himself  in  an  upright  pos- 
ture, and  he  studiously  avoided  all  those  places 
through  which  the  rays  of  the  moonlight  made 
their  way.  There  was  scarcely  a  minute  in  which 
he  did  not  fancy  that  he  heard  the  stealthy  move- 
ment of  some  one  near  him,  and  stopped  and  lay 
flat  upon  his  face,  remaining  thus  until  hopeful 
that  it  was  safe  to  move  forward  again.  And 
this  apprehension  was  not  always  imaginary. 
Two  separate  times  the  sound  of  footsteps  were 
too  distinct  to  be  mistaken,  and  the  glimpse 
obtained  of  a  shadowy  figure,  as  it  flitted  across 
a  partially  moonlit  space,  was  equally  conclusive. 

Almost  an  hour  had  passed,  when  Fred  finally 
found  himself  on  the  edge  of  the  open  area  which 


IN  THE   PECOS   COUNTRY.  67 

separated  the  wood  from  the  settlement.  Thus 
far  he  had  evaded  all  danger  and  only  a  compara- 
tively small  space  remained  to  be  passed  over  in 
order  to  reach  the  haven  of  safety. 

The  boy  assumed  an  upright  position,  and, 
standing  in  the  shadow  of  the  wood,  debated  with 
himself  as  to  the  best  means  of  getting  over  that 
narrow  but  dangerous  neck  of  territory  which  still 
interposed.  It  would  be  useless  to  attempt  to 
creep  over  it,  for  the  moon  would  be  sure  to  reveal 
him  to  the  Indians  that  were  lurking  near,  and  it 
was  not  likely  that  he  could  advance  a  dozen 
yards  without  detection.  If  it  were  possible,  by 
drawing  himself  along  on  his  face,  to  elude  the 
vigilance  of  the  Apaches,  it  would  be  clearly 
impossible  to  escape  being  discerned  by  his  own 
friends.  At  such  a  time,  the  entire  company  would 
be  on  the  look-out  for  just  such  insidious  advances, 
and  the  chances  were  that  he  would  be  taken  for  a 
savage  and  shot  by  his  own  friends. 

Fred  was  compelled  to  do  a  good  deal  of  think- 
ing, and  the  conclusion  he  came  to  was  the  next 
best  possible  to  reach.  Clearly,  the  wiser  course 
was  for  him  to  remain  where  he  was  for  the  time 
being.  So  long  as  darkness  remained,  it  was  com- 
paratively easy  for  him  to  keep  concealed,  and, 


68  IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY. 

while  the  situation  could  not  have  grown  any 
worse,  with  the  passage  of  the  night,  the  chances 
were  that  it  would  improve,  as  the  way  for  a  safe 
run  across  the  exposed  area  would  have  shown 
itself  in  due  time.  But  it  was  natural  that  the 
boy  should  become  impatient,  and  he  easily  per- 
suaded himself  that  his  position  became  more 
critical  each  moment. 

He  decided  to  make  a  run  straight  for  the  larger 
building,  depending  not  upon  concealment  but 
upon  speed.  He  expected  to  be  fired  at,  and  prob- 
ably chased  by  some  of  the  Apaches,  but  there  was 
a  reasonable  chance  of  his  escaping  both.  The 
distance  was  short,  and  he  was  sure  to  gain  a 
good  start  at  the  beginning ;  but  his  main  reliance 
was  upon  his  being  recognized  by  his  friends,  who 
would  cover  his  flight.  Having  decided  upon  this 
course,  he  did  not  delay  its  execution  a  moment, 
since  delay  foreboded  so  much. 

Breathing  a  prayer  to  heaven  to  guide  him 
safely,  he  drew  in  a  deep  breath,  and,  leaping  full 
into  the  moonlit  space,  started  through  his  fiery 
gauntlet. 

For  a  second  or  two  the  tomb-like  silence  con- 
tinued, and  then  he  heard  several  hoarse,  crow- 
like  calls,  which  he  knew  were  made  by  the 


IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY.  69 

Apaches.  Then  came  several  rifle  reports,  but  he 
was  not  injured.  It  showed,  however,  that  his 
flight  had  been  discovered.  Fred  had  nothing  to 
do,  however,  but  to  run,  and  he  put  on  the  utmost 
speed  to  which  he  could  force  himself,  straining 
every  nerve  in  the  hope  of  making  the  log-house, 
which  seemed  to  recede  as  he  advanced. 

Silence  succeeded  the  shots  and  shouts,  and  the 
heart  of  the  young  fugitive  was  throbbing  with  a 
wild  hope,  when  a  noise  caused  him  to  look  over 
his  shoulder.  To  his  horror,  he  perceived  an 
Indian  runner  on  foot,  and  within  a  dozen  feet, 
bearing  down  upon  him  with  the  speed  of  the 
wind.  The  poor  lad  felt  as  if  weighed  down  by  a 
horrible  nightmare,  but  he  bent  to  his  work  with 
the  desperation  of  dispair. 

It  was  useless. 

His  speed  was  not  one  half  as  great  as  that  of 
the  trained  Apache,  who  bounded  forward  like  a 
panther,  and  the  next  instant  griped  his  horny 
fingers  in  the  arm  of  Fred,  who  uttered  a  wail,  and 
sank  like  one  dying. 

At  that  moment,  the  sharp,  penetrating  crack  of 
a  rifle  came  from  the  direction  of  the  large  build- 
ing, and  the  warrior,  with  an  ear-splitting  screech, 
threw  up  his  hands,  and  fell  backward. 


70  IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY. 

"Run,  you  young  beaver!  Thar's  a  chance  for 
you  yet! " 

The  ringing  voice  of  Sut  Simpson,  aroused  the 
boy,  who,  finding  himself  loose  from  the  grasp  of 
the  Indian,  bounded  forward  again.  But  he  had 
scarcely  done  so,  when  the  tramp  of  horses'  hoofs 
were  heard,  and  a  warrior,  more  daring  than  the 
others,  sent  his  mustang  forward  with  arrowy 
swiftness,  not  behind  the  lad,  but  directly  in  front 
of  him,  so  that  he  was  compelled  to  turn  to  one 
side,  in  the  attempt  to  dodge  him. 

Detecting  his  purpose,  a  fusilade  of  rifles  was 
kept  up  from  the  houses,  but  the  Apache  seemed 
to  escape  them  all ;  and,  throwing  himself  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  horse,  so  as  to  interpose  the 
body  of  the  latter  between  himself  and  his 
enemies,  and,  without  checking  his  speed,  he 
reached  down,  and  catching  the  bewildered  lad, 
dashed  up  the  slope,  bearing  him  away  in  tri- 
umph. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

IN    LONE    WOLF'S    CLUTCHES. 

POOR  Fred  Munson  struggled  with  the  vigor 
of  desperation  to  escape  the  clutches  of  the 
Indian,  who  swooped  down  upon  him  in  the  fash- 
ion described,  but  it  was  in  vain;  and  he  scarcely 
heard  the  thunder  of  the  horses'  hoofs  and  saw 
the  figure  of  the  rushing  mustang,  when  he  was 
snatched  up  by  the  muscular  and  far-reaching 
Apache,  and  borne  away  amid  the  shower  of  bul- 
lets, which  hurtled  as  harmlessly  about  the  red 
rider  and  his  steed  as  if  the  two  bore  charmed 
lives. 

The  daring  warrior  who  performed  this  remark- 
able feat  had  no  sooner  secured  the  boy  than  he 
righted  himself  on  the  back  of  his  horse,  sitting 
bolt  upright,  while,  almost  at  the  same  instant, 
the  dead  run  was  toned  down  to  a  moderate 
walk.  Turning  his  head,  the  Apache  emitted 
several  tantalizing  whoops,  intended  to  irritate 
the  whites  into  firing. 

71 


72  IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY. 

Although  he  was  within  easy  rifle-shot,  no  one 
essayed  to  fire,  and  he  knew  none  would  do  so. 
Not  even  that  skillful  marksman,  Sut  Simpson, 
dared  make  the  trial,  for  the  painted  body  of  the 
sinewy  red-skin  was  covered  by  that  of  the  boy, 
whom  he  held  in  front  of  him,  and  he  who  fired  at 
the  wretch  was  much  more  likely  to  kill  the  lad  so 
cunningly  held  in  his  arms.  Thus  it  was  that  the 
captor  made  off  with  his  prize,  and  no  one  was 
able  to  check  him,  although  the  hearts  of  the 
whites  were  burning  with  rage  and  with  the  de- 
sire to  shoot  the  Apache  who  had  baffled  them  so 
utterly. 

Fred  was  still  struggling,  in  the  frantic  hope  of 
twisting  himself  loose  from  the  grasp  of  the  red- 
skin, when  the  latter  spoke  in  his  harsh,  guttural 
voice : 

"Stop,  or  I'll  kill." 

This  was  said  in  the  best  of  English,  and  the 
boy  was  astonished,  as  may  well  be  supposed,  at 
the  linguistic  accomplishment  of  the  Indian.  At 
first  he  imagined  that  it  was  a  white  man  painted 
and  disguised,  but  one  searching  glance  not  only 
removed  that  impression,  but  revealed  the 
identity  of  his  captor.  It  was  Lone  Wolf,  whom 
he  had  baffled  the  night  before  in  the  wood. 


IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY.  73 

"It's  all  up  with  me  now,"  was  the  thought  of 
Fred,  when  this  intelligence  flashed  upon  him. 
"He  will  never  forgive  me  for  the  way  I  stopped 
him  last  night.  How  sorry  I  am  that  I  didn't 
shoot  him  when  I  had  such  a  good  chance!" 

For  one  minute  he  thought  of  appealing  to  his 
mercy,  but  a  brief  reflection  convinced  him  that 
that  was  worse  than  useless,  and  he  abandoned 
the  idea  as  absurd.  He  was  old  enough  to  know 
that  Indians  are  merciless. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  night  was  closing  in 
when  Fred  was  captured  and  a  few  minutes  later, 
when  he  turned  his  head  back  toward  New 
Boston,  he  was  unable  to  distinguish  a  single 
house. 

The  mustang  bearing  captor  and  prisoner  drop- 
ped into  an  easy  gallop,  passing  entirely  out  of 
the  valley  and  a  short  distance  over  the  prairie, 
where,  when  he  halted,  he  found  himself  amid 
some  thirty  or  forty  mounted  Apaches.  Here  a 
halt  was  made  and  the  red-skins  engaged  in  a 
consultation,  which,  as  a  matter  of  course,  was 
conducted  in  their  own  language,  and,  conse- 
quently,was  unintelligible  to  the  lad,  who  was  as 
deeply  interested  as  any  of  them  in  the  proceed- 
ings. 


74  IN  THE   PECOS  COUNTRY. 

The  scene  was  a  strange  one,  and  was  so  firmly 
impressed  upon  his  memory  that  he  was  sure  he 
could  not  forget  it  if  he  lived  a  hundred  years. 
The  Indians  he  saw  now  for  the  first  time  with 
their  animals  perfectly  motionless.  They  were 
grouped  around  their  chief  in  an  irregular  circle, 
and  in  the  gathering  darkness,  with  their  long, 
coarse,  black  hair  dangling  over  their  shoulders ; 
their  low,  scarcely  perceptible  foreheads;  broad, 
misshapen,  painted  faces  and  their  hideous  figures, 
they  formed  as  unearthly  a  scene  as  can  be  con- 
jured up.  Several  persisted  in  talking  at  the  same 
moment,  and  they  indulged  liberally  in  gesture,  so 
that  it  was  very  apparent  that  something  excit- 
ing was  before  the  convention. 

What  it  was,  Fred  could  not  conjecture  satis- 
factorily to  himself.  He  could  not  believe  that 
he  himself  was  regarded  of  sufficient  importance 
to  cause  any  such  discussion,  and  from  what  he 
had  heard  of  the  war-chief,  it  did  not  seem  prob- 
able that  he  would  allow  any  such  wrangle  over 
a  prisoner  which  he  had  in  his  own  possession. 
It  surely  was  over  some  other  matter,  probably 
concerning  the  action  of  the  Apaches,  regarding 
which  he  had  invited  discussion ;  but  whatever  it 


IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY.  75 

was,  Fred  could  only  content  himself  with  look- 
ing and  listening. 

The  lad  felt  that  he  was  as  helpless  as  an  infant, 
and,  now  that  he  had  been  given  time  to  collect 
his  senses,  he  stopped  making  any  further  effort 
to  escape  from  his  captor.  Knowing  the  uncon- 
trollable temper  of  the  Indians,  he  resolved  not  to 
provoke  an  outburst  by  any  action  of  his  own. 
The  wonder  with  him  was,  that  the  chief  did  not 
kill  him  the  minute  he  found  that  he  was  in  his 
power.  They  had  not  shown  any  desire  to  make 
prisoners,  when  it  was  so  much  more  easy  to  rid 
themselves  of  their  captives  by  a  blow  from  the 
tomahawk  or  the  thrust  of  the  knife. 

"I  suppose  they  mean  to  do  something  dread- 
ful with  me,"  was  the  thought  of  Fred,  as  he 
shudderingly  looked  around  upon  the  repulsive 
group. 

There  could  be  but  little  doubt  of  that,  and  he 
could  do  nothing  but  ask  heaven  to  protect  him 
in  the  terrible  danger  in  which  he  was  placed. 
At  such  a  time  a  person's  mind  is  unusually  active 
and  a  hundred  schemes  agitated  the  mind  of  the 
young  captive — schemes  which,  when  analyzed  by 
the  clear  light  of  reason,  were  about  as  unsub- 
stantial as  the  fabric  of  a  dream.  Fred  felt  that 


76  IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY. 

if  he  was  not  killed  immediately  there  was  some 
chance  for  him.  A  few  hours,  or  at  least  a  day 
or  two,  -would  give  time  for  his  friends  to  do  some- 
thing. Mickey  O'Rooney,  upon  returning  to  the 
settlement  (as  he  would  have  to  do  sooner  or 
later),  would  not  consent  to  remain  there  as  long 
as  the  fate  of  his  young  friend  was  in  doubt.  And 
there  was  Sut  Simpson,  the  hunter,  who  had  taken 
so  much  pains  to  come  and  warn  the  settlers 
of  the  impending  attack.  He  had  witnessed  the 
capture  of  the  lad  and  was  certain  to  do  all  he 
could  to  rescue  him.  His  long  experience  in  the 
west,  and  his  numerous  encounters  with  these 
Indians,  had  given  him  a  knowledge  which  would 
be  of  great  value  in  such  an  emergency.  Fred  re- 
called too,  that  he  had  heard  it  stated  more  than 
once  that  the  Indians  frequently  took  prisoners 
for  the  purpose  of  ransom,  and  that  he  might  be 
restored  in  this  manner  so  soon  as  communication 
could  be  opened  between  the  Apaches  and  his 
friends. 

It  so  happened,  therefore,  as  the  minutes  passed, 
that  something  like  the  renewal  of  hope  came  to 
the  heart  of  the  lad,  who  had  reached  the  conclu- 
sion that  the  subject  under  discussion  did  not  re- 
late to  himself. 


IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY.  77 

This  Apache  convention  did  not  prolong  its 
session.  Lone  Wolf  seemed  to  permit  his  warriors 
to  talk  until  he  became  weary,  when  he  said  a  few 
words,  and  the  talk  ended.  During  the  discussion, 
numbers  had  continued  to  come  in,  until  there 
were  over  a  hundred  gathered  together.  The 
moon  was  shining  from  a  clear  sky  overhead,  and 
the  group  gathered  on  the  open  prairie,  where  the 
members  thereof  were  in  readiness  to  dash  in  any 
direction,  in  case  of  an  attack.  With  the  words  of 
Lone  Wolf  came  the  adjournment  of  the  conven- 
tion. The  talk  ceased  instantly,  as  if  by  magic, 
and  the  heads  of  the  horses  were  turned  toward 
the  north. 

The  Indians  were  about  to  leave  the  neighbor- 
hood where  they  had  been  so  roughly  used  by  the 
whites.  A  number  had  already  gone,  bearing  with 
them  the  dead  and  wounded,  and  the  remainder 
were  about  to  depart — that  is,  for  a  time,  until 
their  forces  could  be  marshaled  into  a  body  that 
would  sweep  New  Boston  from  the  face  of  the 
earth.  Such  was  the  decree  of  Lone  Wolf.  Was 
he  to  permit  a  party  of  white  men  to  plant  a  set- 
tlement in  the  very  heart  of  his  country  ?  Was  he 
to  allow  his  hunting  grounds  to  be  appropriated 
in  this  fashion  ?  Was  he  to  submit  quietly  to  the 


78  IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY. 

encroachments  of  those  who  had  never  so  much  as 
asked  his  consent  ?  Not  so  long  as  he  could  sum- 
mon an  army  of  the  best  warriors  of  the  South- 
west to  his  command.  If  his  present  company  had 
been  too  small,  then  he  would  double  and  treble  it. 
At  all  events,  the  power  would  be  provided  to  ac- 
complish his  purpose. 

The  horsemen  speedily  arranged  themselves ;  the 
head  of  all  turned  in  a  northerly  direction.  It  took 
some  minutes  for  them  to  arrange  themselves,  but 
they  were  about  ready  to  receive  the  command  of 
their  chief,  when  the  report  of  a  rifle  broke  upon 
the  stillness.  An  Indian,  with  a  spasmodic  shriek, 
threw  up  his  arms  and  rolled  backward,  and  then 
from  his  steed,  which  snorted  and  reared,  as  if  it, 
too,  had  suffered  some  injury. 

This  warrior  was  directly  in  the  rear  of  Lone 
Wolf,  and  had  been  so  fairly  in  line  with  him  that 
there  could  be  no  doubt  that  the  bullet  had  really 
been  intended  for  the  chief.  The  point  from  whence 
it  came  could  not  be  mistaken. 

Over  half  of  the  war-party  saw  the  flash  of  the 
gun,  off  to  their  right,  in  the  direction  of  the  set- 
tlement, and  those  wrho  chanced  not  to  see  it  were 
quicklv  informed  of  the  spot  by  the  appearance  of 
a  horse,  looking  as  if  he  had  sprung  from  the 


IN  THE   PECOS  COUNTRY.  79 

ground  itself.  No  rider  was  visible ;  but,  of  course, 
he  was  there,  as  he  had  just  demonstrated  by 
means  of  his  shot.  That  there  might  be  no  doubt 
of  his  identity,  he  uttered  a  loud  yell,  like  that 
with  which  one  Indian  defies  another,  and  called 
out  in  the  Apache  tongue : 

"Sut  Simpson  sends  the  shot  for  the  heart  of 
Lone  Wolf,  who  is  a_dog  and  a  coward." 

This  was  the  favorite  taunt  of  the  hunter  when 
he  sought  to  draw  out  his  old  enemy.  Some  of  the 
numerous  scars  which  he  received  were  the  direct 
result  of  his  daring  defiance,  and  he  was  hopeful 
that  the  challenge  would  accomplish  something  in 
the  present  case.  Nor  was  he  disappointed. 


CHAPTER  X. 

TWO   OLD  ENEMIES. 

LONE  WOLF  recognized  the  taunt  of  his  old 
enemy,  and  his  black  eye  lit  up  with  a  gleam  of  fire 
and  passion.  He  would  not  turn  his  back  upon 
his  white  foe,  who  had  just  sent  a  bullet  in  quest 
of  his  heart.  He  would  accept  the  gage  of  battle, 
and  end  his  personal  warfare  of  years.  But,  like 
all  Indians,  the  chieftain  was  the  personification 
of  treachery,  without  a  particle  of  chivalry  or 
manhood,  and  when  he  resolved  upon  his  attempt 
to  destroy  the  frontiersman,  it  was  without  any 
regard  for  the  fairness  of  the  means  which  he 
should  employ. 

He  handed  the  boy  to  one  of  the  warriors  sitting 
near  him,  as,  of  course,  he  could  do  nothing  when 
impeded  by  his  presence,  although  he  had  proved 
very  convenient  some  time  before,  in  the  way  of  a 
shield.  Then  he  said  something  to  a  dozen  or  so 
of  the  warriors  immediately  around  him.  The 
main  body  remained  comparatively  motionless, 

80 


IN  THE   PECOS  COUNTRY.  81 

while  the  chief  rode  out  in  advance  and  headed 
toward  his  antagonist,  his  horse  upon  a  slow 
walk,  and  moving  with  great  caution. 

Sut  Simpson  was  not  to  be  caught  napping.  No 
one  understood  the  sneaking  character  of  Lone 
Wolf  better  than  did  he.  He  had  had  it  back  and 
forth  with  him  too  many  times  not  to  be  able  to 
read  the  fellow  through  and  through. 

While  the  leader  was  coming  forward  in  this 
cautious  manner,  he  saw  several  other  horsemen 
in  motion.  Their  direction  was  not  the  same  as 
their  leader.  They  appeared  to  be  riding  further 
back  upon  the  prairie,  as  though  they  had  been 
sent  upon  some  errand  to  a  distant  point.  But 
Sut  knew  what  it  meant.  They  meant  to  steal 
away  until  they  were  out  of  sight,  when  they 
would  come  around  behind  him.  There  were 
enough  to  surround  him  completely  and  to  cut  off 
his  escape  in  any  direction. 

Sut  saw  all  this  and  was  not  surprised  thereat. 
He  believed  that  he  was  too  old  a  bird  to  be 
caught  with  such  chaff.  The  manner  in  which  he 
could  defeat  the  purpose  of  Lone  Wolf  was  by  di- 
rect fight,  or  by  forcing  him  into  a  combat  which 
would  anticipate  the  intention  of  the  Apache.  He 
preferred  the  latter  course,  and  he  made  the  effort 

6 


82  IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY. 

4 

in  the  common  Indian  way,  by  uttering  a  taunt, 
still  using  the  Apache  tongue. 

"Lone  Wolf  is  a  coward  and  a  dog!  He  is 
afraid  of  the  white  hunter !  He  stays  by  his  war- 
riors, that  they  may  hold  his  head  when  his  heart 
grows  faint  at  sight  of  his  pale-face  foe." 

Anyone  who  understands  the  temper  of  an  In- 
dian will  see  that  such  a  taunt  as  this  was  of  the 
most  exasperating  nature.  It  rankled  deeply  in 
the  heart  of  Lone  Wolf,  who  would  have  given  a 
dozen  of  his  best  warriors  for  the  chance  of  bury- 
ing  his  tomahawk  in  the  skull  of  his  foe;  but  he 
was  too  cunning  to  be  misled  by  his  desire  for  re- 
venge. He,  too,  indulged  in  a  little  of  the  taunt- 
ing business  himself ;  and,  as  the  hunter  had  hon- 
ored him  by  speaking  in  the  Apache  language,  he 
"threw  himself,"  so  to  speak,  in  English. 

"The  white  hunter  is  afraid  of  Lone  Wolf.  He 
dreads  his  scalping-knife.  His  heart  trembles,  and 
he  knows  not  where  to  hide  himself." 

"He  does  not  hide  from  Lone  Wolf,  for  he  has 
hunted  days  and  nights  to  find  him,  and  when 
Lone  Wolf  saw  him  coming,  he  ran  among  his  war- 
riors and  hid." 

"He  is  not  among  them  now,"  retorted  Lone 


IN  THE   PECOS  COUNTRY.  83 

Wolf;  "while  he  seeks  Sut  Simpson,  the  brave 
hunter  moves  away." 

Such  was  really  the  case.  Judged  from  a  super- 
ficial standpoint,  the  greatest  show  of  courage 
was  made  by  the  Apache,  whose  horse  was  mov- 
ing forward  at  a  slow,  cautious  pace,  while  the 
mustang  of  Sut  Simpson  kept  up  a  continued  and 
equally  guarded  retreat,  so  that  the  distance  be- 
tween the  two  taunting  enemies  remained  about 
the  same.  The  hunter  had  a  manifest  purpose  in 
this,  which  was  simply  to  draw  his  foe  far  enough 
away  from  his  support  to  gain  a  chance  for  a  sud- 
den dash  at  him  before  he  could  elude  him.  At 
the  same  time  he  did  not  forget  the  dozen  horse- 
men that  had  stolen  out  so  cautiously  from  the 
rear,  and  he  knew  that  "if  it  were  done,  then 
'twere  well  it  were  done  quickly,"  as  Macbeth  so 
aptly  puts  it. 

Sut  carefully  measured  the  intervening  space 
with  his  eye,  but  Lone  Wolf  was  still  too  near  his 
reserve.  The  two  men  were  eying  each  other  like 
cats,  and,  although  he  taunted  so  loudly,  yet  no 
one  would  have  been  readier  than  the  Apache  to 
flee  if  he  believed  that  he  was  in  greater  peril  than 
his  antagonist. 


84  IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY. 

"Why  does  not  Lone  Wolf  move  faster?"  asked 
Sut,  hoping  to  spur  him  into  doing  so. 

"  Why  does  not  the  hunter  wait  for  him  ?"  asked 
the  chief,  very  appropriately,  in  return. 

The  scout  thought  that  if  he  could  draw  the 
savage  a  few  yards  further  he  would  have  him 
just  where  he  wanted  him.  Feeling  how  precious 
the  passing  time  was,  he  galloped  his  mustang  a 
rod  or  so  and  then  came  to  a  sudden  abrupt  halt. 

"Here  I'll  await  you,  you  old  copper-skinned 
hoodlum!  "he  called  out,  in  unmistakable  Eng- 
lish. 

Lone  Wolf  did  not  check  his  speed ;  nor,  on  the 
other  hand,  did  he  hasten  it.  Let  alone,  he  was 
sure  to  reach  the  proper  point  in  due  time;  but 
the  trouble  was  that  Sut  had  no  time  to  spare. 
The  dozen  horsemen  who  were  making  their  cir- 
cuit must  have  accomplished  considerable  of  it 
already,  and  would  soon  be  closing  in  around 
him. 

The  hunter  had  been  caught  in  just  such  predic- 
aments many  a  time  before,  and  had  managed  to 
pull  through  without  material  injury;  but  no 
brave  man  who  was  possessed  of  ordinary  sense 
would  willingly  allow  himself  to  be  drawn  into 
such  a  trap.  The  Apaches  were  as  good  riders  as 


IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY.  85 

he,  and  a  shot  that  would  disable  his  horse  would 
play  mischief  with  the  rider.  He  wished  to  avoid 
any  such  snarl,  and  so  he  dallied  and  trifled  with 
his  adversary  in  the  hope  of  trolling  him  along 
to  a  point  where  he  could  hold  him,  while  the 
Indian  continued  his  advance  like  one  whose  only 
purpose  was  to  hold  his  man  until  the  other 
warriors  could  close  in  behind  him.  The  moment 
speedily  came  when  it  would  not  have  been  best 
to  wait  a  second  longer. 

Wheeling  his  horse  with  the  suddenness  of  light- 
ning, Simpson  charged  at  full  speed  straight  at 
Lone  Wolf.  The  latter  was  surprised  by  the  move- 
ment, but  he  was  not  thrown  off  his  guard,  nor 
did  he  seek  to  fall  back  on  his  reserves.  It  would 
be  time  enough  to  do  that  when  he  should  become 
convinced  of  its  necessity ;  besides  which,  he  had 
only  to  keep  the  hunter  engaged  for  a  brief  time 
in  order  to  give  his  horsemen  the  chance  to  entrap 
him. 

Bearing  in  mind  the  deceitful  character  of  the 
chief,  Sut  waited  until  he  was  within  a  short  dis- 
tance, when  he  wheeled  and  let  drive  with  a 
couple  chambers  of  his  revolver.  Lone  Wolf  went 
over  the  side  of  his  mustang  so  suddenly  that  the 
hunter  believed  he  had  been  killed;  but,  as  he 


86  IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY. 

checked  himself  before  reaching  the  ground,  he 
saw  his  mistake,  and  knew  that  the  savage's 
"reply"  would  be  forthcoming  on  the  instant. 
Accordingly,  Sut  followed  suit  and  interposed  the 
body  of  his  mustang  like  a  flash  between  himself 
and  the  red-skin. 

He  was  not  a  wink  too  soon.  Just  as  he  went 
over  he  caught  the  flash,  and  heard  the  report  of  a 
pistol.  The  chief  had  fired  from  beneath  the  neck 
of  his  steed,  with  his  revolver — for  Lone  Wolf 
carried  his  revolver,  like  any  other  gentleman  of 
the  plains. 

This  was  complicating  matters  so  much  that 
the  hunter  determined  to  force  conclusions  with- 
out a  moment's  delay. 

There  was  no  use  of  firing  at  the  Indian  as  long 
as  he  was  protected  by  his  horse.  He  was  to  cun- 
ning to  be  caught  napping.  So,  without  a  parti- 
cle of  hesitation,  Sut  threw  the  muzzle  of  his  rifle 
beneath  the  neck  of  his  steed,  and  fired  straight 
at  the  one  which  was  sheltering  his  adversary. 

The  shot  was  fatal,  and,  with  a  frenzied  leap, 
the  animal  stumbled  forward  upon  his  neck,  and 
fell  dead  in  his  tracks.  Nimble  Lone  Wolf  threw 
himself  as  quick  as  a  flash  from  beneath  the  fall- 


IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY.  87 

ing  body,  and,  conscious  of  his  disadvantage, 
started  on  a  run  for  the  main  body  of  war- 
riors; but  Sut,  with  extraordinary  shrewdness, 
had  anticipated  this  very  thing,  and,  assisted  by 
the  intelligence  of  his  animal,  he  threw  himself 
ahead  of  him,  so  as  to  shut  off  the  fligh  in  that 
direction. 

Everything  now  went  with  bewildering  swift- 
ness. The  Apaches,  seeing  their  chief  environed, 
rode  forward  to  his  assistance,  while  the  hunter, 
revolver  in  hand,  blazed  away  at  him,  determined 
to  bring  him  to  earth,  now  that  he  had  the 
chance.  The  activity  of  Lone  Wolf  was  simply 
marvelous. 

He  darted  here  and  there,  dodged  back  and 
forth,  and  once  or  twice  actually  shot  beneath 
the  belly  of  his  adversary's  mustang.  His  antics 
were  confusing,  and,  although  Sut  succeeded  in 
wounding  him,  it  seemed  utterly  impossible  to 
disable  him. 

The  hunter  had  already  discharged  his  rifle 
when  he  slew  the  horse,  and  when  he  emptied 
his  revolver,  he  was  chagrined,  furious,  and  baf- 
fled. 

"I  believe   you're   the    devil    himself!"    he   ex- 


88  IN   THE   PECOS  COUNTRY. 

claimed,  ceasing  his  efforts  to  bring  him  down, 
"and  I'll  let  you  go  this  time!" 

He  turned  to  flee  when  he  saw  that  the  Apaches 
were  all  about  him. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

HOT    QUARTERS. 

THE  contest  of  Simpson  with  the  wonderfully 
supple  and  sinewy  Apache  began  and  ended  in  a 
few  seconds.  In  the  most  thrilling  moments  the 
hunter  did  not  forget  his  peril  from  outside  bar- 
barians. 

The  main  war-party  seeing  the  desperate  straits 
of  their  leader,  who  was  liable  to  be  shot  down 
by  a  ball  from  the  revolver,  galloped  forward  to 
his  assistance,  and,  almost  at  the  same  moment 
the  dozen  horsemen  that  had  set  out  to  head 
him  off  put  in  appearance,  all  coming  from  dif- 
ferent directions,  and  converging  toward  the  one 
point,  where  the  veteran  borderer  was  suddenly 
transformed  from  an  aggressor  into  a  deeply 
imperiled  fugitive. 

It  was  a  time  for  "business"  of  the  sternest 
kind,  and  the  grizzled  hunter  went  at  it  like  one 
who  understood  what  it  meant.  Rifle  and  pistol 
were  discharged,  and,  therefore,  useless.  The 

89 


90  IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY. 

former  was  slung  over  his  back,  and  the  latter 
was  quickly  jammed  into  his  girdle.  In  a  twink- 
ling he  had  his  huge  bowie  in  his  right  hand, 
and,  shouting  to  his  mustang,  he  headed  out  on 
the  prairie,  and  made  a  dash  for  life  and  free- 
dom. 

At  such  a  crisis,  everything  depends  upon  the 
sagacity  and  intelligence  of  the  horse.  It  requires 
something  more  than  speed — it  needs  a  grasp  of 
the  "situation,"  upon  the  part  of  the  brute,  and 
the  guidance  of  his  action  which  should  result 
therefrom.  It  was  in  this  respect  that  Sut  Simp- 
son possessed  an  advantage  which  can  scarcely 
be  appreciated.  He  made  no  attempt  to  guide 
or  control  the  creature  he  bestrode;  but,  bend- 
ing forward  upon  his  back  and  clutching  his 
terrible  weapon  in  his  hand,  he  uttered  a  shout, 
which  the  mustang  interpreted  as  an  appeal  to  do 
his  best,  and  he  proceeded  to  do  so  without  an 
instant's  hesitation. 

Still,  it  was  vain  to  try  to  dodge  through  the 
converging  warriors  without  coming  in  contact 
with  them.  There  were  too  many  to  permit  any 
such  performance,  but  the  wall  was  not  impen- 
etrable. Like  an  arrow  from  the  bow  sped  the 
animal,  and,  seeing  the  point  toward  which  he 


IN  THE  PEC  OS  COUNTRY.  91 

was  aiming,  the  Apaches  endeavored  to  close  the 
gap.  The  equine  fugitive  did  not  swerve  in  the 
least,  and  it  looked  as  if  he  was  plunging  to  his 
own  destruction. 

The  scout  saw  it  all,  and  made  no  effort  to 
change  the  direction  he  was  pursuing.  He  only 
grasped  his  bowie  the  more  tightly  and  com- 
pressed his  lips.  There  was  an  ugly  gleam  in  his 
sharp  gray  eye  as  he  braced  himself  for  the  con- 
flict. 

The  nose  of  the  mustang  was  almost  touching 
the  head  of  the  other  horses,  when  he  swerved 
almost  at  right  angles,  and,  with  a  tremendous 
burst  of  speed,  shot  through  the  nearest  "open- 
ing." This  threw  all  his  enemies,  by  the  brilliant 
manoeuvre,  in  his  rear,  and  left  the  clear  prairie 
before  him  as  a  path  in  which  to  complete  his 
flight. 

The  space  seperating  Sut  from  his  enemies  was 
too  slight  for  him  to  reach  safety  by  one  plunge. 
The  mustang  was  scarcely  under  way,  when  he 
was  compelled  to  dodge  as  abruptly  as  before, 
and  in  a  trice  he  made  a  third,  which  was  done 
with  cosummate  skill,  and  yet  with  the  unavoid- 
able result  of  bringing  the  scout  in  collision  with 
a  swarthy  warrior.  Sut  was  expecting  it,  and, 


92  IN  THE  rECOS  COUNTRY. 

bursting  like  a  thunderbolt  upon  the  howling 
red-skin,  he  drove  the  flashing  bowie  with  such 
prodigious  force  that,  to  repeat  an  old  expres- 
sion, the  first  thing  the  Apache  knew,  he  knew 
nothing. 

At  the  moment  of  making  the  thrust,  a  painted 
warrior  riding  on  the  opposite  side  struck  a 
terrific  blow  with  his  tomahawk,  but  the  dex- 
trous flirt  of  the  hunter's  head  permitted  the 
weapon  to  whizz  by  and  graze  his  cheek.  The 
time  was  to  short  for  him  to  do  any  work  -with 
the  knife  in  the  other  hand,  quick  as  was  Simp- 
son in  his  movements;  so  the  tomahawk  had 
scarcely  descended  upon  its  harmless  mission 
when  he  sent  out  his  left  hand  straight  from  his 
shoulder,  like  the  plunge  of  a  piston  rod. 

It  struck  the  astonished  warrior  straight  in 
his  face  with  irresistible  force  and  his  head  went 
down  and  his  heels  up  so  suddenly  that  he  was 
knocked  completely  off  his  horse — a  thing  which, 
it  may  be  safely  said,  does  not  occur  with  an 
Apache  or  Com  ache  once  in  a  thousand  times, 
unless  it  be  a  bullet  that  tumbles  him  to  the 
ground.  This  opened  the  way  again  and  the 
magnificent  mustang  settled  down  to  the  work 
of  life  and  death. 


IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY.  93 

Sut  saw  that  it  was  impossible  for  any  of  the 
horsemen  to  throw  themselves  across  his  track, 
and  so  he  flung  himself  forward  upon  his  match- 
less steed  and  said  a  few  words  encouragingly  in 
the  hope  that  it  might  add  a  particle  to  his 
speed;  but  that  was  impossible,  as  the  noble 
creature  was  doing  his  very  utmost. 

The  pursuing  Apaches  seemed  to  cling  to  the 
hope  of  capturing  the  daring  scout,  for  they  thun- 
dered away  in  pursuit,  while  he  as  steadily  drew 
away  from  them.  Suddenly  came  the  crack  of 
rifles,  but  Sut  noticed  that  most  of  them  came 
from  a  point  in  advance,  and  he  raised  his  head 
enough  to  learn  what  it  meant. 

The  mustang  (whether  by  design  or  accident 
cannot  be  stated)  had  sped  continually  in  the 
direction  of  New  Boston,  and  was  dashing  down 
toward  that  point.  The  pioneers  were  on  the 
alert,  and  the  instant  they  could  distinguish 
pursuers  from  pursued,  they  opened  on  the 
former,  with  the  result  of  tumbling  several  from 
the  backs  of  their  steeds.  This  so  disorganized 
the  hot  pursuit  that  in  the  flurry  of  the  moment 
the  scout  shot  in  among  the  group  of  alarmed 
horses,  sprang  from  his  back,  and  was  soon 


94  IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY. 

among  his  friends,  from  whom  he  had  been 
seperated  less  than  half  an  hour. 

Lone  Wolf  seemed  meditating  a  charge  down 
the  valley,  and  once  or  twice  a  formidable  number 
of  his  warriors  were  observed  gathering  upon  the 
slope;  but  the  moment  they  were  discovered  such 
a  galling  fire  was  poured  in  among  them  that 
they  quickly  scampered  out  of  range.  The  chief, 
beyond  question,  was  infuriated  by  the  manner 
in  which  he  had  been  baffled,  and  this  fury 
tempted  him,  perhaps,  to  a  rash  deed  or  two; 
but  he  speedily  regained  his  shrewdness  and  drew 
his  warriors  off. 

A  careful  reconnaisance,  made  an  hour  later, 
failed  to  show  a  single  Apache.  The  entire  body 
had  departed. 

The  special  errand  of  Sut  in  venturing  out  was 
to  effect  the  recapture  of  the  lad.  The  chance  of 
success  was  very  desperate,  but  upon  that  alone 
the  scout  had  based  his  hopes.  Had  the  oppor- 
tunity been  tempting,  the  Apaches  would  have 
done  all  they  could  to  head  off  any  effort  in  that 
direction,  but  it  is  often  by  a  sudden  dash,  when 
apparently  there  is  no  hope,  that  the  most  bril- 
liant successes  are  made.  But  the  issue  in  the 
present  case  had  been  a  complete  failure,  and  Sut 


IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY.  95 

chafed  greatly  under  the  reflection,  for  every- 
thing connected  with  it  was  mortifying  to  him. 

In  the  first  place,  he  had  been  completely  out- 
witted from  beginning  to  end  by  his  old  enemy, 
Lone  Wolf.  That  chieftain,  whom  he  detested 
with  the  very  intensity  of  hatred,  had  snatched 
up  the  boy  under  his  very  nose,  and  made  off 
with  him.  The  shot  that  had  been  fired  to  bring 
the  war-chief  to  earth  failed  in  its  purpose,  and 
while  the  hunter  was  forcing  him  into  a  corner 
he  awoke  to  the  fact  that  he  was  there  himself, 
and  it  was  only  by  a  hair's  breadth  that  he  suc- 
ceeded in  saving  his  bacon. 

"But  Sut  Simpson  don't  give  up  the  job  just 
yet,"  said  he,  the  next  morning,  in  discussing 
the  situation  with  Barnwell  and  the  leading 
pioneers.  "That  younker  has  got  himself  in  a 
scrape,  through  no  fault  of  his  own,  and  onless 
he  gets  a  lift  there's  no  show  for  his  pullin'  out 
of  it." 

"  Mickey  O'Rooney  is  still  absent,  and  he  may 
be  able  to  help  you." 

But  Sut  shook  his  head.  He  saw  no  prospect 
of  any  appreciable  assistance  from  that  quarter. 

"He's  a  good  fellow,  and  I  like  him;  but  he'll 
have  all  he  can  do  to  take  care  of  himself.  When 


96  IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY. 

a  chap  undertakes  to  go  it  alone  in  these  parts, 
he  must  never  wink  both  eyes  at  the  same 
time." 

"Suppose  the  Irishman  has  been  killed?"  ven- 
tured one  of  the  men,  who  was  somewhat  shaken 
up  by  the  events  of  the  night  before.  "It  seems 
to  me  that  it  is  very  probable." 

"You're  right,"  replied  Sut,  as  if  he  were  dis- 
cussing the  question  of  stock.  "Very  likely  he's 
gone  under.  We've  all  got  to  come  to  it  sooner 
or  later,  and  what's  the  odds  if  one's  a  little 
ahead  of  the  other?  " 

By  this  time  the  speaker  was  astride  his  mus- 
tang, which  was  as  fresh  and  eager  as  though 
he  had  not  been  subjected  to  the  tremendous 
strain  of  the  night  before.  The  little  party  of 
pioneers  had  come  to  look  upon  the  scout  as  in- 
dispensable to  their  safety.  His  timely  warning 
of  the  coming  of  the  Apaches  had  saved  them 
from  a  frightful  massacre,  and  he  now  gave  them 
some  parting  advice,  which  could  not  be  disre- 
garded. 

"You  cleaned  'em  out  this  time,"  said  he,  as 
he  sat  on  his  mustang,  hesitating  a  few  minutes, 
until  several  of  the  sentinels  that  had  been  sent 
out  could  come  in  with  their  reports;  "you 


IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY.  97 

cleaned  them  out  this  time,"  he  repeated,  "but 
don't  you  think  on  that  account  they'll  stay 
away.  As  I  observed  to  you  some  time  ago,  I 
know  something  'bout  that  varmint,  and  he'll 
be  back  agin,  and  you  kin  bet  your  bottom  dol- 
lar on  it.  He'll  fetch  a  pile  of  the  dogs  at  his 
back,  and  he'll  clean  out  this  place  so  complete 
that  a  fortnight  from  now  a  microscope  won't 
be  able  to  tell  where  the  town  of  New  Boston 
stood." 

"And  you  urge  us  to  give  over  the  attempt  to 
make  a  settlement  here?"  remarked  Barn  well, 
with  his  old  cynical  smile. 

"For  the  present  I  do;  I  don't  ax  you  to  give 
it  up  forever,  mind,  but  only  to  wait  some  fifty 
or  seventy-five  years,  till  I  get  a  chance  to  wipe 
out  Lone  Wolf,  and  things  become  sorter  quieted 
down  like.  It's  better  to  get  out  of  bed  than  it 
is  to  be  kicked  out,  and  you  must  take  your 
choice." 

"But  we  are  here,  and  why  should  we  not 
stay?" 

"The  best  reason  is  'cause  you  can't.  I  don't 
know  as  there's  any  better.  It's  only  fifty  miles 
to  Fort  Severn,  and  you  can  make  it  easy  in 
two  or  three  days  with  your  teams  and  bag- 

7 


98  IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY. 

gage.  You've  traveled  the  plains  long  'nough  to 
understand  how  the  thing  is  done." 

At  this  juncture  the  three  men  who  had  been 
sent  out  in  different  directions  on  a  reconnois- 
sance  came  in  with  their  report.  One  of  them 
had  climbed  the  very  tree  in  which  Fred  Mun- 
son  had  taken  refuge.  This  gave  him  an  ex- 
tended view  of  the  surrounding  country.  One  of 
the  others  had  devoted  himself  to  a  careful  ex- 
amination of  the  river,  while  the  third  scanned 
the  prairie  in  another  direction.  The  result  in 
every  case  was  the  failure  to  detect  any  signs  of 
the  Apaches. 

Sut  Simpson  waved  his  friends  a  good-by  and 
galloped  up  the  slope,  where  he  took  the  trail  of 
the  Indians  and  at  once  set  off  in  quest  of  his 
young  friend,  who  was  a  captive  in  their  hands. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

THE  YOUNG  CAPTIVE. 

THE  experience  of  Fred  Munson  as  a  prisoner 
among  the  Apaches  was  one  which  he  was  not 
likely  to  forget  to  his  dying  day.  From  the  back 
of  the  steed  where  he  was  held  a  captive  he 
gained  an  indistinct  view  of  the  short,  savage 
struggle  between  Lone  Wolf  and  Sut  Simpson, 
and  more  than  once  he  concluded  that  it  was  all 
over  with  the  daring  hunter,  who  had  ventured 
out  with  the  purpose  of  befriending  him.  But 
when  the  chieftain  returned  to  his  warriors  alone 
and  without  any  scalp  strung  to  his  girdle,  he 
knew  that  the  fellow  had  pulled  through  all 
right. 

Lone  Wolf  was  so  exasperated  at  his  treat- 
ment, that  he  hovered  around  for  a  short  time 
with  his  entire  force,  in  the  hope  of  balancing 
accounts  with  his  old  enemy.  But  he  soon  saw, 
however,  the  utter  impossibility  of  that  in  the 
present  shape  of  things,  and  so  he  summoned  all 

99 


100  IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY. 

his  warriors  together  and  moved  off  in  a  north- 
erly direction,  his  purpose  being,  as  the  hunter 
said,  to  return  with  a  force  which  would  prove 
itself  invincible. 

Fred  expected  to  be  handed  back  to  the  re- 
doubtable chieftain,  who,  he  supposed,  would 
subject  him  to  the  most  cruel  kind  of  treatment ; 
but  that  worthy  did  not  seem  desirous  of  receiv- 
ing his  charge  back  again  and  permitted  him  to 
remain  with  his  deputy.  The  lad  did  not  know 
whether  to  be  pleased  by  this  or  not ;  for  his  cus- 
todian was  the  most  repulsive  looking  being  he 
had  ever  seen.  He  was  deeply  pitted  with  small- 
pox, and  the  enormous  nose  which  he  had  once 
possessed  had  been  splintered  by  a  blow  from  a 
tomahawk,  so  that  in  no  respect  at  all  did  it 
resemble  that  useful  and  ornamental  organ. 
There  was  an  enormous  breadth,  too,  bet \veen 
the  eyes,  or  rather  temples,  the  face  tapering 
down  to  the  chin  so  rapidly  that  the  contour 
from  the  front  suggested  the  shape  of  a  wedge. 

An  Indian  almost  invariably  has  good  teeth 
but  the  mouth  of  the  one  in  question  was  filled 
with  snags  that  projected  in  every  direction ;  his 
chin  was  excessively  retreating,  and,  to  add  to 
it  all,  his  countenance  was  daubed  with  different 


IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY.  101 

colored  paint,  in  such  fantastic  streakings  that 
an  Adonis  himself  would  have  appeared  hideous. 
Such  was  the  jailer  of  Fred,  who  heard  him  ad- 
dressed once  or  twice  by  a  name  which  sounded 
to  him  as  if  it  were  Waukko. 

He  was,  in  fact,  one  of  the  most  famous  war- 
riors of  the  Jiccarilla  Apaches,  his  fame  depend- 
ing as  much  upon  his  cruelty  as  upon  his  prow- 
ess. There  are  legends  in  the  southwest  credit- 
ing Lone  Wolf  with  having  shown  some  slight 
signs  of  mercy  on  one  or  two  occasions,  but 
nothing  of  the  kind  was  ever  said  of  his  lieuten- 
ant, Waukko,  who  brained  the  innocent  babe 
with  the  same  demon-like  enjoyment  that  he 
silenced  the  pleadings  of  old  age  and  blooming 
womanhood.  Fred,  as  a  matter  of  course,  knew 
nothing  of  these  characteristics ;  but  the  appear- 
ance of  the  redskin  himself  was  so  repulsive  that 
he  could  not  look  at  him  without  a  shudder  of 
terror. 

The  lad  sat  on  the  blanket  directly  in  front  of 
Waukko,  who  held  him  in  place  by  passing  his 
arm  about  him.  Such  was  his  position  when 
the  entire  company  headed  northward,  and  struck 
into  a  sweeping  gallop. 

It   was   comparatively   early    in    the    evening 


102  IN  THE   PECOS  COUNTRY. 

when  the  start  was  made,  and  the  flight  was 
continued  without  interruption  through  the 
night,  the  horses  scarcely  ever  varying  from  that 
same  everlasting  canter. 

The  novelty  of  his  situation,  and  the  interest 
which  Fred  felt  as  to  what  was  to  be  done  with 
him  in  the  end  kept  him  wide  awake  for  a  time, 
and  he  indulged  in  all  sorts  of  surmises  and  con- 
jectures. Without  brother  or  sister,  and  with 
only  one  parent,  his  father,  to  whom  he  was 
deeply  attached,  his  greatest  suffering  was  the 
thought  of  the  sorrow  that  would  be  his  father's 
when  he  should  come  to  know  the  dreadful  fate 
of  his  only  son. 

Such  were  his  thoughts  when  he  had  no  hope 
of  ever  seeing  him  again ;  but  when  he  reflected 
that  Mickey  O'Rooney  was  still  absent  from  the 
settlement,  and  that  Sut  Simpson  was  likely  to 
take  up  the  hunt,  a  strong  hope  arose  within 
his  breast  and  encouraged  him  to  believe  that 
he  might  escape  from  the  Apaches. 

"Ah,  if  I  only  had  my  handsome  Hurricane 
here!"  he  murmured,  as  he  recalled  the  figure  of 
his  sinewy  and  symmetrical  steed.  "Once  on  his 
back  and  with  a  clear  field  before  me,  all  the  In- 
dians in  the  Southwest  couldn't  catch  me.  If  the 


IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY.  103 

hunter  would  only  think  to  bring  him  along,  it 
would  help  a  good  deal,  but  I  don't  suppose  he 
will." 

Then  his  thoughts  wandered  away  to  his 
father,  and  the  tears  came  to  his  eyes  and  the 
sorrow  lurked  deep  in  his  heart,  nourished  by 
the  thought  that  very  likely  they  would  never 
meet  again,  and  his  father's  lonely  heart  /would 
be  sorrowful  all  the  rest  of  his  life  as  he  thought 
of  how  his  only  child  had  been  murdered  by  the 
Apaches. 

The  steady  sinking  and  rising  of  the  Indian's 
horse  gradually  became  monotonous,  and,  after 
a  time,  the  boy's  nodding  head  drooped,  and 
Waukko  knew,  from  the  pressure  against  his 
breast,  that  his  captive  was  asleep.  Could  he 
have  had  his  way,  he  would  have  strangled  the 
life  out  of  him  as  he  lay  thus  unconscious,  but 
he  was  carrying  him  for  Lone  Wolf,  the  chief, 
and  he  dare  not  disobey  him. 

It  is  not  often  that  the  sleeper  rests  his  head 
upon  the  bosom  of  his  enemy,  yet  such  was  the 
case  in  the  present  instance.  The  swaying,  rock- 
ing motion  of  the  bed  of  Fred  Munson  not  only 
lulled  him  to  sleep,  but  retained  him  in  as  sweet 
and  dreamless  slumber  as  though  he  were  rest- 


104  IN  THE   PECOS  COUNTRY. 

ing  upon  his  bed  at  home,  where  no  thought  of 
the  treacherous  Indian  ever  entered  his  head. 

The  red-skin  sat  his  steed  like  a  statue.  Lone 
Wolf  had  entrusted  the  young  captive  to  his 
charge,  and  he  would  hold  him  responsible  for 
his  safe  deliverance,  that  was  all.  He  might 
have  slept  for  twenty-four  hours,  using  his 
scarred  and  evil  chest  as  a  pillow,  without  pro- 
test from  him. 

When  at  last  Fred  opened  his  eyes,  it  was  sev- 
eral minutes  before  he  recalled  his  situation.  It 
was  just  beginning  to  grow  light,  and  when  he 
saw  the  figures  of  horses  with  their  riders  he  re- 
membered the  scene  of  the  night  before.  When 
he  turned  his  head  and  saw  the  horrid  face  of 
Waukko,  no  doubt  then  remained  of  where  he 
was.  But  he  looked  upon  a  far  different  scene 
from  that  upon  which  he  had  closed  his  eyes. 

Instead  of  being  upon  the  broad,  sweeping 
prairie,  he  was  among  the  mountains.  They 
towered  upon  every  hand,  and  the  war  party 
had  halted  in  a  sort  of  canon  or  valley,  where 
they  seemed  shut  out  from  the  outer  world. 

"Where  are  we?"  asked  Fred,  thinking  it  po- 
lite to  open  a  conversation  with  his  guardian, 
with  a  view  of  conciliating  him ;  but  the  red-skin 


IN  THE   PECOS  COUNTRY.  105 

did  not  seem  to  be  in  a  mood  for  conversation, 
or  it  may  be  that  he  did  not  possess  a  very  pro- 
found knowledge  of  the  English  tongue,  for  he 
made  no  reply. 

After  a  time,  the  lad  ventured  upon  another 
modest  remark,  but  receiving  no  attention,  he 
concluded  it  hardly  worth  his  while  to  attempt 
to  work  any  further  in  that  direction,  and  he 
gave  over  the  effort. 

As  soon  as  the  halt  was  made,  Lone  Wolf  gave 
a  sort  of  address  to  his  warriors,  which  Fred 
believed  to  be  a  sort  of  harangue,  intended  to 
incite  them  to  deeds  of  greater  daring  than  any 
they  had  as  yet  shown.  The  red-skins  became 
much  excited,  and  answered  his  appeals  with 
angry  shouts,  grunts  and  gestures.  No  doubt, 
had  he  chosen  to  lead  them,  they  would  have 
rushed  buck  to  a  second  attack  upon  New  Bos- 
ton, without  the  addition  of  another  warrior  to 
their  number.  The  oratory  of  Lone  Wolf  was 
not  very  graceful,  but  it  was  very  effective.  He 
knew  how  to  appeal  to  his  followers  in  a  way 
that  went  directly  to  their  hearts. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

THE    ENCAMPMENT. 

IMMEDIATELY  after  the  harangue  of  Lone  Wolf 
a  general  dismounting  of  the  warriors  followed, 
and  the  mustangs,  which  showed  admirable  train- 
ing, were  left  to  themselves.  The  halt  had  been 
made  where  there  was  grass  and  water,  to  which 
the  animals  now  paid  their  attention,  \vhile  their 
owners  prepared  for  their  morning  meal. 

There  was  a  certain  system  in  all  this  appar- 
ent confusion,  and,  it  being  known  that  a  halt 
would  be  made  at  this  point,  a  half  dozen  of  the 
most  skilful  hunters  of  the  party  had  scattered 
among  the  mountains  in  quest  of  game.  By  the 
time  several  fires  were  fairly  under  way,  these 
providers  began  dropping  in,  all  of  them  laden 
with  spoils  of  the  chase,  which  were  dressed  and 
boiling  over  the  different  camp-fires  in  an  incredi- 
bly short  time.  The  Apaches  had  reduced  this 
thing  to  a  science,  and  a  company  of  trained 
soldiers  could  not  have  done  the  thing  more 
expedi  tiously  than  did  they. 

106 


IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY.  10? 

While  it  was  all  going-  on,  Fred  Munson  walked 
to  the  brook  near  at  hand,  and  taking  a  deep 
draught  from  the  icy  water,  he  stood  somewhat 
apart  from  the  others,  watching  the  proceedings 
with  a  strange  interest. 

At  first  he  failed  to  understand  one  thing.  He 
knew,  from  what  he  had  seen,  that  at  least  a 
dozen  of  the  Apaches  had  been  killed,  and  as 
many  wounded,  on  the  night  before  during  the 
fight.  Yet  not  one  of  these  was  visible,  with  the 
exception,  perhaps,  of  Lone  Wolf,  whose  scratches 
from  Sut  Simpson's  bullets  were  of  a  superficial 
nature.  The  only  explanation  of  the  absence  of 
these  parties  was  that  they  had  gone  home. 
Under  the  charge  of  a  strong  escort  they  had 
taken  another  route,  and  were  probably  miles 
away  at  that  moment,  and  most  likely  in  their 
own  wigwams,  receiving  the  nursing  and  atten- 
tion required. 

"I  wonder  whether  there  is  any  chance  of  my 
getting  away?"  mused  the  lad,  as  he  looked 
searchingly  about  him.  "If  a  fellow  could  only 
get  the  start,  there  are  plenty  of  places  where 
he  might  hide;  but  there's  where  the  trouble  is." 

On  the  right  and  left  of  the  gorge  were  precip- 
itous mountains,  evidently  broken  by  chasms, 


108  IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY. 

ravines,  and  covered  with  patches  of  wood,  their 
elevation  being  so  moderate  that  no  snow  was 
visible  upon  their  tops,  while  the  scene  was  wild 
and  forbidding  in  the  extreme. 

"If  I  were  only  up  there,"  sighed  Fred,  as  he 
looked  at  the  mountain  side,  "I  could  crawl  into 
some  of  the  places,  where  I'm  sure  they  couldn't 
find  any  signs  of  me." 

This  might  all  be,  provided  the  lad  had  an  hour 
or  two  in  which  to  hunt  his  hiding  place,  but  the 
whole  difficulty  lay  in  getting  that  opportunity. 
It  was  not  to  be  supposed  that  the  Apaches  were 
so  stupid  as  to  give  a  young  captive  like  him  a 
chance  to  slip  from  their  hands  in  broad  daylight. 
They  were  too  shrewd  for  that  and  Fred  felt  that 
he  must  wait  for  some  better  opportunity  than 
the  present. 

The  meat  was  prepared  in  short  order,  and  then 
the  Apaches  fell-to  like  so  many  wild  beasts,  using 
only  their  fingers  and  teeth.  A  large  quantity  of 
food  was  provided,  and  the  redskins  were  rapidly 
disposing  of  it,  when  the  lad  saw  that  no  one  was 
likely  to  offer  him  any,  and  he  struck  in  and 
helped  himself. 

This  morning  halt  of  the  war-party  lasted 
about  an  hour,  during  which  Fred  felt  that  there 


IN  THE   PECOS   COUNTRY.  109 

was  little  attention  being  paid  him.  Considerable 
earnest  talk  was  indulged  in  by  the  warriors,  who 
wrere  apparently  discussing  some  important  plans 
with  Lone  Wolf,  the  whole  thing  resolving  itself 
into  a  sort  of  council  of  war.  When  they  leaped 
upon  the  backs  of  their  mustangs,  the  decision 
had  been  made,  and  preparations  made  for  carry- 
ing it  out  without  delay 

The  whole  party  started  up  the  gorge,  Fred  rid- 
ing again  with  the  Apache  Apollo,  Waukko,  while 
Lone  Wolf  kept  himself  at  the  head  of  the  force. 

"I  thought  he  would  be  mad  enough  to  kill 
me,"  mused  the  boy,  as  he  caugh  sight  of  the 
notorious  chief,  "for  the  reason  that  I  gave  him 
such  a  scare  night  before  last.  It  can't  be  that  he 
has  forgotten  it  or  that  he  doesn't  know  who  I 
am;  but  maybe  he  is  going  to  do  something 
dreadful  to  me  after  he  gets  me  home." 

What  the  real  purpose  of  Lone  Wolf  was  could 
only  be  conjectured;  but  there  was  reason  to 
believe  that  he  meant  to  hold  his  prisoner  for  a 
ransom,  as  the  aboriginal  scamp  was  very  partial 
to  that  kind  of  business.  By  carrying  the  lad 
back  among  the  mountains,  he  could  hold  him 
against  the  army  of  the  United  States,  utterly 


110  IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY. 

refusing  to  yield  him  up  until  he  should  receive  his 
price. 

The  mustangs  galloped  along  at  an  easy  gait, 
for  a  mile  or  so,  when  the  canon,  or  gorge,  divided 
in  a  manner  precisely  like  that  which  is  frequently 
observed  in  the  highways  or  streets  of  a  city. 
Lone  Wolf  instantly  turned  the  head  of  his  mus- 
tang to  the  left,  and,  without  checking  him  in  the 
least,  continued  at  a  sweeping  gallop  in  that 
direction,  followed  by  all  of  hia  warriors,  save 
three. 

These  were  Waukko  and  two  companions 
scarcely  less  repulsive  in  appearance,  who  wheeled 
their  steeds  to  the  right.  Without  any  exchange 
of  word  or  signal,  they  sped  down  the  ravine  and 
in  less  than  a  minute  the  two  parties  were  lost  to 
sight  of  each  other. 

What  this  meant  was  a  mystery  as  baffling  as 
the  other,  but  Fred  concluded  that  Lone  Wolf  had 
gone  in  quest  of  some  other  party  of  his  war- 
riors, and  had  sent  Waukko  and  his  two  compan- 
ions as  an  escort  to  conduct  him  to  some  place 
where  he  would  be  beyond  all  danger  of  rescue. 
The  shrewd  Apache  chief,  in  doing  this,  only  acted 
with  ordinary  discretion. 

He  knew  Sut  Simpson  through  and  through, 


IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY.  Ill 

and  had  not  a  particle  of  doubt  that  the  hunter 
was  already  on  their  track,  and  that  he  would 
use  every  exertion  to  recover  the  lad.  Hence  the 
most  important  thing  to  do  was  to  get  forward 
without  any  loss  of  time.  He  had  a  full  night's 
start  of  the  scout,  who  could  only  press  his  pur- 
suit by  daylight,  when  the  trail  was  visible,  and 
there  was  no  reason  why  the  three  men  who  had 
the  lad  in  charge  should  allow  the  fleetest-footed 
mustang  to  catch  up  with  them. 

Fred,  as  may  be  supposed,  was  gratified  to  find 
his  companions  so  suddenly  and  greatly  reduced 
in  number,  for  it  seemed  to  him  at  once  that  his 
chances  of  escape  were  increased  tenfold.  It  sim- 
plified matters.  It  did  not  occur  to  him  that 
three  vigilant  Indians  were  as  effective  as  three 
hundred,  and  that  in  a  certain  sense  his  prospect 
of  deliverance  was  diminished  rather  than  in- 
creased. He  was  a  boy  and  as  hopeful  as  his 
years. 

The  day  remained  sunshiny  and  pleasant,  and 
the  easy  canter  of  the  mustangs  caused  just 
enough  breeze  to  make  the  riding  delightful.  Fred 
felt  an  unconquerable  aversion  to  the  Apache 
Waukko,  whose  horrible  face  and  appearance 
caused  him  more  than  once  to  half  suspect  that 


112  IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY. 

he  was  a  ghoul  or  demon.  He  again  made  an 
attempt  to  open  communication  with  him,  but  he 
uttered  a  sort  of  grunt  that  Fred  took  as  a 
command  for  silence,  and  he  resolved  that  he 
would  die  before  he  would  repeat  the  attempt. 

The  gorge  continued  its  winding  course  among 
the  mountains,  some  of  the  turns  being  at  very 
sharp  angles.  The  width  of  the  ravine  varied 
from  fifty  to  five  hundred  feet,  the  walls  on  either 
side  showing  about  the  same  difference  of 
altitude.  At  times  they  were  perpendicular,  and 
then  again  sloped  at  such  a  moderate  angle  that 
a  horse  could  have  galloped  up  them  without 
difficulty. 

The  mountainous  nature  of  the  country  rather 
increased  than  diminished,  and,  looking  right  and 
left,  in  front  and  rear,  the  jagged  peaks  were 
forever  visible,  the  distances  varying,  but  the 
number  greater  and  greater.  At  times  it  seemed 
as  if  the  ravine  w^ere  about  to  terminate  suddenly 
against  the  solid  wall  of  the  mountain,  but,  as 
they  rode  forward,  the  open  way  was  there,  albeit 
the  angle  was  sharp,  and  the  little  party  suffered 
no  interruption  of  progress  until  near  the  close  of 
the  day. 


IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY.  113 

The  noon  halt  which  Fred  expected  was  not 
made. 

He  was  hungry  and  supposed  that  the  Apaches 
were ;  but,  if  so,  they  manifestly  considered  it  of 
more  importance  to  get  forward  than  to  satisfy 
that  hunger.  Once  or  twice  they  permitted  their 
horses  to  drink  from  the  water  when  it  was 
reached,  but  these  momentary  halts  were  all  that 
were  made. 

It  was  near  the  middle  of  the  afternoon,  when 
Waukko,  who  was  the  leader  of  the  little  group, 
suddenly  showed  great  excitement,  which  speedily 
communicated  itself  to  his  companions.  All  three 
of  these  scamps  were  sullen  and  reticent,  fre- 
quently riding  for  hours  at  a  time  without 
exchanging  a  word,  so  that  this  excitement 
meant  something.  The  three  halted  simultane- 
ously, and  talked  loudly  and  excitedly,  so  that 
Fred  suspected  that  some  cause  for  a  quarrel  had 
abruptly  sprung  upon  them. 

"I  wonder  if  they're  wrangling  about  me?" 
was  the  thought  that  came  to  the  lad,  who 
immediately  recalled  the  fate  of  Miss  MacCrea 
during  the  Revolution,  when  the  two  Indians 
conducting  her  to  Fort  Edward  settled  a  quarrel 
over  her  by  sinking  a  tomahawk  in  her  brain. 

8  » 


114  IN  THE   PECOS  COUNTRY. 

If  the  present  excitement  could  be  quelled  only 
by  such  a  remedy,  he  preferred  that  it  should  go 
on.  Otherwise,  if  there  was  a  prospect  of  their 
settling  it  by  falling  upon  each  other,  he  was  in 
hope  of  seeing  it  intensified.  It  looked  as  if  a 
deadly  fight  were  impending,  when  he  was  tossed 
to  the  ground,  and  the  three  Apaches  instantly 
dropped  to  the  earth  and  faced  each  other. 


CHAPTER  ;XIV. 

THE  STRANGE  CAMP. 

THE  Apaches,  however,  were  not  quarreling. 
They  were  engaged  in  a  dispute,  or  rather  argu- 
ment, which  concerned  them  all,  and  about  which 
it  was  all-important  that  no  blunder  should  be 
made. 

Fred  Munson,  the  instant  he  found  himself 
upon  the  ground,  moved  timidly  back,  so  as  to  be 
out  of  the  way  when  the  expected  clash  of  arms 
should  come,  and  he  watched  the  three  men  with 
an  intensity  of  interest  which  can  scarcely  be 
imagined.  He  now  noticed,  for  the  first  time, 
that  as  the  disputants  talked,  they  all  three 
pointed  and  looked,  at  intervals,  up  the  mount- 
ain, showing  that  the  all-absorbing  topic  was 
located  there. 

Following  the  direction  indicated,  the  boy 
noticed  the  smoke  of  a  camp-fire  rising  from  the 
side  of  the  mountain,  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  in 
advance.  It  could  be  seen  plainly  and  distinctly, 
although  the  fire  itself  from  which  the  smoke 

115 


116  IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY. 

came  was  imperceptible.  It  was  evident,  there- 
fore, that  the  discovery  of  this  camp-fire  had 
produced  the  excitement  among  the  Apaches. 

And  why  should  such  be  the  case  ? 

The  fact  of  it  was,  that  the  three  Apaches  were 
upon  territory  which  could  by  no  means  be  con- 
sidered the  exclusive  tramping-ground  of  their 
tribe.  Immediately  to  the  eastward  roamed  the 
Kiowas  and  Comanches,  and  it  was  no  more  than 
natural  that  their  warriors  should  come  into 
occasional  collision,  especially  when  none  of  them 
were  disposed  to  recognize  any  of  the  presumed 
rights  of  the  other. 

The  dispute,  therefore,  was  regarding  the  camp- 
fire,  which  had  suddenly  appeared  to  plague 
them.  Did  it  belong  to  their  friends  or  enemies? 

Lone  Wolf,  in  sending  his  three  warriors  home- 
ward with  the  captive,  dispatched  them  by  a 
round-about  method  through  the  mountains,  for 
the  reason  that  it  would  be  more  difficult  to  trail 
them.  The  advantage  which  they  had  gained  in 
the  start,  he  was  confident,  placed  it  out  of  the 
power  of  Sut  Simpson,  or  any  of  his  friends,  to 
do  them  injury.  But  here,  while  carrying  out  the 
directions  of  their  chief,  they  found  themselves 
confronted  by  an  unexpected  danger. 


IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY.  117 

If  the  Kiowas  or  Comanches,  as  the  case  might 
be,  discerned  the  little  company,  they  would  not 
fail  to  observe  that  they  had  a  prize  in  their  pos- 
session, and  they  very  probably  would  show  a 
disposition  to  interfere.  The  wrangle  was  as  to 
whether  it  was  best  to  go  directly  ahead  upon 
the  route  they  were  pursuing,  trusting  not  only 
to  the  possibility  that  the  strangers  there  were 
friends,  but  to  the  prospect  of  their  getting  by 
without  detection,  or  whether  they  should  go  to 
the  trouble  of  a  flank  movement. 

Waukko  was  inclined  to  go  directly  ahead, 
while  the  others  were  opposed,  and,  as  is  fre- 
quently the  case  with  such  people,  the  dispute 
was  excited  and  hot  for  awhile ;  but  the  hideous 
Apache  triumphed  by  virtue  of  his  official  posi- 
tion. Lone  Wolf  had  placed  the  lad  in  his 
charge,  and  he  was  bent  upon  managing  the 
business  in  his  own  fashion. 

It  was  agreed,  therefore,  that  they  shonld  con- 
tinue on  up  the  ravine,  as  this  offered  so  much 
the  better  chance  for  their  mustangs  to  make 
good  progress.  Waukko  took  the  lead,  his  horse 
walking  at  a  steady  gait,  while  he  scrutinized 
the  camp-fire  as  closely  and  searchingly  as  if  his 
life  depended  on  the  result. 


118  IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY. 

The  flame  seemed  to  have  been  started  directly 
behind  a  mass  of  rocks,  large  and  compact 
enough  to  shelter  a  dozen  men,  if  they  wished  to 
conceal  themselves.  The  smoke  showed  that  it 
was  burning  so  rigorously  that  fuel  must  have 
been  placed  upon  it  but  a  short  time  before. 
It  would  seem  that,  if  set  going  by  hostile 
hands,  the  owners  were  short-sighted  in  thus 
exposing  their  location ;  but  the  mischief  of  such 
a  thing  is  that  the  smoke  of  a  camp-fire  in  an 
Indian  country  may  have  one  or  more  of  a  dozen 
dangerous  meanings. 

In  the  West  and  Southwest  the  Indians  have  a 
system  of  telegraphy,  conducted  entirely  by  means 
of  signal  fires  from  mountain  top  to  mountain 
top.  Treaties  signed  in  Washington  in  one  day 
have  been  known  hundreds  of  miles  away  at 
night,  by  the  red-skins  chiefly  concerned,  who  had 
no  means  of  gaining  the  news  except  by  some  sys- 
tem of  telegraphy,  understood  only  by  them- 
selves. The  most  cunning  and  effective  war  move- 
ments, where  the  success  depends  upon  the  co- 
operation of  widely  separated  parties,  have  been 
managed  and  conducted  by  the  smoke  curling  up- 
ward from  hills  and  mountain  peaks.  Still  fur- 
ther, a  camp-fire  is  frequently  used  as  a  way  of 


IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY.  119 

confusing  an  approaching  enemy,  for  by  what 
means  could  the  latter  judge  whether  the  parties 
who  had  kindled  it  were  in  the  immediate  neigh- 
borhood ? 

Was  there  not,  in  this  instance,  one  stealthy 
Kiowa  carefully  keeping  up  the  blaze,  while  his 
companions  had  stolen  around  and  across  the 
chasm,  where  they  were  ambushed  and  awaiting 
the  coming  of  their  victims?  Were  not  the  sly 
dogs  successful  in  hiding  their  positions  by  the 
very  means  which  would  generally  be  supposed  to 
betray  it  ? 

At  any  rate,  Waukko  was  not  yet  abreast  of  the 
dangerous  point  when  he  again  checked  his  mus- 
tang, and  the  three  Apaches  consulted  in  a  low 
voice  and  with  every  appearance  of  suppressed  ex- 
citement. There  was  something  in  the  wind  which 
made  all  three  feel  anything  but  comfortable. 

The  consultation  was  brief  and  decisive.  Wauk- 
ko and  one  of  his  warriors  dismounted,  leaving 
Fred  and  his  guardian  upon  the  remaining  horse. 
Waukko  moved  off  to  the  right,  as  though  he 
meant  to  reconnoiter  the  camp-fire,  while  the 
other  savage  stole  off  to  the  left.  Very  evidently 
there  was  something  which  needed  looking  after, 


120  IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY. 

and  it  may  have  been  that  Waukko  was  in  quest 
of  information  for  his  leader,  Lone  Wolf. 

Be  that  as  it  may,  before  Fred  Munson  fairly 
suspected  it  he  found  himself  alone  with  another 
mounted  Apache,  both  the  others  having  vanished 
as  effectually  as  if  the  ground  had  opened  and 
swallowed  them  up. 

"Now  is  my  chance,  if  I  could  only  get  an  open- 
ing," was  the  truthful  conclusion  of  the  lad,  whose 
heart  suddenly  beat  with  an  awakened  hope.  "If 
I  can  manage  to  get  this  old  fellow  off,  or  if  I 
could  steal  a  little  march  on  him,  so  as  to  gain  a 
chance,  I  could  escape.  Anyhow,  I'm  going  to 
try  it,"  he  added,  and  his  boyish  heart  was  fired 
with  a  renewed  determination  to  make  a  desper- 
ate leap  for  liberty. 

One  Apache,  however,  if  he  attended  to  his  busi- 
ness, could  guard  him  as  effectually  as  a  dozen, 
and  it  all  depended  upon  the  disposition  this  war- 
rior should  manifest.  Just  now  his  great  and  all 
absorbing  interest  was  in  the  efforts  of  his  com- 
rades to  detect  the  meaning  of  the  signal  fire. 

Fred  sat  behind  him  upon  the  horse,  and  he 
stealthily  looked  to  the  right  and  left,  in  the  hope 
of  detecting  some  place  which  offered  an  opportu- 
nity for  concealment,  for  he  felt  that  there  would 


IN  THE   PECOS  COUNTRY.  121 

be  but  the  single  chance  offered  him.  If  he  should 
fail  in  that,  the  savages  would  guard  him  too 
closely  to  permit  a  second  effort. 

The  ravine  at  this  place  was  about  a  hundred 
feet  in  width.  The  sides  sloped  abruptly  down- 
ward, growing  nearly  perpendicular  further 
ahead,  so  that  the  Apaches,  if  caught  in  any  trap 
at  all,  would  be  caught  in  the  worst  possible  man- 
ner. Hence  the  extreme  caution  they  displayed 
before  committing  themselves. 

There  were  rocks  and  stones  on  the  right  and 
left,  and  here  and  there  some  stunted  vegetation. 
A  few  minutes  start  would  give  any  one  a  chance 
to  hide,  but  just  there  was  the  whole  difficulty. 
How  was  the  start  to  be  obtained  ?  It  seemed,  at 
this  juncture,  as  if  the  fates  were  unusually  propi- 
tious. Everything  conspired  to  invite  the  attempt 
which  the  boy  was  so  anxious  to  make. 

Waukko  and  his  companion  had  not  been  gone 
more  than  ten  minutes  when  one  of  them  signaled 
to  the  Indian  left  behind.  It  came  in  the  shape  of 
a  soft  low  whistle,  which  could  easily  be  mistaken 
for  the  call  of  a  bird.  The  horseman  started  and 
turned  his  head  side  wise  to  listen  the  instant  it 
fell  upon  his  ear,  and  this  caused  Fred  to  notice  it. 
The  Indian  held  his  head  a  moment  in  the  attitude 


122  IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY. 

of  deep  attention,  and  then  he  replied  in  precisely 
the  same  manner  without  turning  his  head.  A 
full  minute  passed.  Then  a  second  call  was  heard, 
emitted  in  precisely  the  same  manner  as  before. 
This  was  the  one  which  did  the  business. 

The  trained  ear  of  the  veteran  scout  could  have 
detected  no  difference  that  had  been  made,  but 
there  was,  for  all  that,  and  a  very  wide  one,  so  far 
as  meaning  was  concerned.  The  red-skin  had  no 
sooner  caught  it  than  he  dismounted  and  moved 
carefully  forward,  his  mustang  quietly  following 
him,  bearing  the  lad  upon  his  back. 

The  warrior  glanced  backward  only  once,  to 
satisfy  himself  that  his  steed  was  there,  and  under- 
stood what  was  required  of  it.  In  the  meantime, 
the  heart  of  Fred  was  throbbing  painfully  with 
hope.  He  felt  as  if  Providence  was  interfering 
directly  in  his  behalf. 

"Now  is  my  time,"  he  added,  a  moment  later. 


CHAPTER   XV. 

A  LEAP  FOR  LIBERTY. 

IT  seemed  that  nothing  could  be  more  favor- 
able for  the  attempt  to  escape.  There  was  Fred 
seated  upon  the  back  of  a  mustang.  His  copper 
colored  captors  were  some  distance  away  at  the 
side  of  the  ravine,  while  the  only  Indian  in 
sight  was  a  dozen  feet  ahead  with  his  back 
toward  him.  True,  there  was  the  risk  of  being 
shot,  but  he  felt  that  he  did  not  deserve  safety 
unless  he  was  willing  to  run  that  or  any  risk. 

There  was  a  loose  rein  hanging  on  the  neck 
of  the  mustang.  Fred  gently  pulled  it  and  the 
beast  stopped.  He  was  walking  so  quietly  that 
his  hoofs  made  scarcely  any  sound  in  falling 
upon  the  flinty  surface,  and  the  Indian,  from 
some  cause  or  other,  failed  to  notice  the  cessa- 
tion of  sound  until  the  distance  between  them 
had  about  doubled. 

At  that  instant,  the  redskin  turned  his  head  as 
quick  as  lightning.  Fred,  who  had  been  watch- 
ing for  that  identical  movement,  whirled  the 

123 


124  IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY. 

steed  about  and  started  him  back  in  the  ravine 
at  full  gallop,  the  brute  responding  gallantly  to 
the  sudden  demand  made  upon  him. 

The  fugitive  was  expecting  a  shot  from  the 
rifle  in  the  hand  of  the  Apache,  and  he  threw 
himself  forward  upon  the  horse,  so  as  to  make 
the  target  as  difficult  to  hit  as  possible.  But 
the  Indian  did  not  fire,  not  only  on  account  of 
the  risk  to  his  favorite  mustang,  but  because  it 
would  have  been  certain  to  disarrange  the  recon- 
noissance  upon  which  Waukko  and  his  compan- 
ions were  engaged. 

But  the  red-skin  did  not  stand  in  stupid  help- 
lessness. A  glance  told  him  everything,  and, 
running  with  extraordinary  swiftness  to  the 
nearest  mustang,  he  vaulted  upon  his  back  and 
started  in  pursuit,  putting  his  animal  upon  the 
jump  from  the  first.  The  few  seconds'  unavoid- 
able delay  gave  the  young  fugitive  something 
like  a  hundred  yards  start,  an  advantage  which 
he  used  every  effort  to  increase,  and  \vhich,  for 
a  brief  spell,  he  succeeded  in  doing. 

Fred's  object  was  to  avoid  a  regular  chase,  for 
he  dreaded  that  in  such  case  the  superior  knowl- 
edge of  the  country  possessed  by  the  Indian 
would  enable  him  to  outwit  him  at  every  turn. 


IN  THE   TECOS   COUNTRY.  125 

Night  was  close  at  hand,  and,  if  he  could  dodge 
the  red-skin  until  darkness,  the  lad  was  confi- 
dent of  escaping  him  altogether. 

For  a  short  distance,  the  ravine  continued  in 
almost  a  straight  line,  and  then  it  turned  at  a 
sharp  angle.  Without  attempting  to  guide  the 
mustang  in  the  least,  Fred  kept  himself  thrown 
forward,  with  his  arms  about  his  neck,  while  he 
hammered  his  sides  with  his  heels,  spoke  sharply 
to  him,  and  did  everything  he  could  to  urge  him 
to  the  highest  possible  rate  of  speed.  The  animal 
whirled  about  the  corner,  and,  with  his  neck 
extended,  went  down  the  ravine  with  almost 
incredible  swiftness  —  a  speed  which  was  steadily 
drawing  him  away  from  his  pursuer,  and  which 
would  have  carried  him  beyond  his  reach  in  a 
brief  time,  but  for  a  singular  and  ,  altogether 
unexpected  check. 

The  pursuing  red-skin  saw  his  charge  quietly 
slipping  from  his  grasp,  and  he  must  have 
viewed  the  wonderful  speed  of  his  favorite  mus- 
tang, under  the  circumstances,  with  mixed  emo- 
tions. At  any  rate,  it  took  him  but  a  short  time 
to  see  that  in  a  stern  chase  he  had  no  chance  of 
coming  up  with  his  own  animal,  and  so  he  com- 
manded him  to  halt.  This  was  done  by  a  pecu- 


126  IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY. 

liar,  tremulous  whooping  sound,  which  he  had 
used  scores  of  times  to  summon  his  animal  to 
him,  and  which  had  never  failed.  Nor  did  it 
fail  now. 

Fred  was  careering  along  at  this  amazing  speed, 
congratulating  himself  meanwhile  upon  his  clever- 
ness, when  the  brute  checked  himself  so  suddenly 
that  the  rider  narrowly  escaped  being  pitched 
over  his  head.  He  jerked  the  bit,  and  pounded 
his  heels  against  his  ribs,  but  it  was  of  no  avail. 
The  horse  had  pricked  up  his  ears,  neighed,  and 
was  looking  back,  with  very  much  the  appear- 
ance of  an  animal  that  was  in  a  mental  muddle. 

The  Indian  saw  it,  and  repeated  the  signal. 
Thereupon  the  mustang  wheeled  and  started 
backward  at  a  gallop,  directly  toward  his  master. 

"If  that's  your  idea,  I'm  not  going  with  you!" 
gasped  the  lad,  who  slipped  off  his  back,  as 
nimbly  as  a  monkey,  and  made  a  dash  for  the 
side  of  the  ravine,  without  any  clear  idea  of 
where  he  was  going. 

It  seemed  that  there  was  no  possible  escape 
for  the  lad,  for  the  Indian  was  but  a  short  dis- 
tance behind  him,  and  was  twice  as  fleet  of  foot 
as  he;  but  one  of  those  fortunate  interferences 


IN  THE   PECOS  COUNTRY.  127 

which  seem  to  be  in  their  nature  like  special 
Providences  occurred  at  this  juncture. 

The  flight  and  pursuit  of  Fred  Munson  took 
place  at  a  critical  period  in  the  affairs  of  all  par- 
ties and  so  mixed  up  the  business  that  it  was 
thrown  entirely  out  of  gear  and  almost  into  in- 
extricable confusion.  It  seemed  that  there  was 
a  party  of  Kiowas  in  hiding,  and  awaiting  the 
chance  to  open  fire  upon  the  approaching 
Apaches.  The  sly  scamps  saw  every  movement 
of  the  warriors,  and  it  looked  as  if  the  flies  were 
about  walking  into  their  trap  when  the  unex- 
pected by-play  occurred. 

There  must  have  been  all  of  half  a  dozen  Ki- 
owas, enough  to  extinguish  the  Apaches,  and 
when  Fred  Munson  started  in  his  flight,  two  of 
the  Indians  hurried  down  the  ravine  for  the  pur- 
pose of  taking  a  hand  in  the  business.  They  un- 
avoidably fell  behind  in  such  a  trial  of  speed,  but 
when  they  saw  the  Apache  about  to  reach  out 
his  hand  to  grasp  the  fugitive,  two  shots  were 
fired  almost  simultaneously  at  him. 

They  were  intended  to  kill,  too,  for  the  Kiowas, 
who  were  actuated  by  no  love  for  the  despairing 
white  boy,  felt  that  they  could  afford  to  give 
him  this  temporary  respite.  They  were  certain 


128  IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY. 

of  their  own  ability  to  step  in  and  pluck  the 
prize  at  the  very  moment  it  might  seem  to  be 
beyond  their  reach.  Rather  curiously,  however, 
neither  of  the  shots  did  what  was  intended.  One 
of  them  missed  the  Apache  altogether,  and  the 
other  only  slightly  wounded  him. 

As  it  was,  however,  the  pursuing  warrior  was 
dumbfounded,  and  he  stopped  as  suddenly  as  if 
smitten  by  a  bolt  from  heaven.  Leaving  his 
mustang  to  look  out  for  himself,  he  darted  to 
the  opposite  side  of  the  ravine  from  that  taken 
by  the  lad,  for  the  purpose  of  securing  cover  be- 
fore a  second  volley  could  be  fired. 

Fred  heard  the  report  of  the  rifle-shots,  and  sup- 
posed that  he  was  the  target  and  that  they  had 
been  fired  by  Waukko  and  his  companion.  In- 
stead of  stopping  to  ascertain,  he  continued  his 
flight  with  all  the  desperation  of  combined  hope 
and  despair. 

A  few  seconds  sufficed  to  carry  him  across  the 
ravine,  and  among  the  rocks,  boulders,  and 
stunted  growth.  The  panting  fugitive  was  ren- 
dered almost  frantic  by  the  thought  that  he  was 
about  to  elude  the  red-skin  after  all.  As  he 
bounded  into  cover,  he  cast  a  terrified  glance 


IX  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY.  129 

backward,  to  see  how  close  to  his  heels  was  his 
dreaded  enemy 

Not  an  Indian  was  visible. 

But  although  Fred  failed  to  see  anything  of 
his  enemies,  he  could  not  but  believe  that  they 
were  somewhere  in  the  immediate  neighborhood, 
and  he  did  not  relax  his  efforts  in  the  slightest. 
Such  strenuous  efforts  speedily  exhausted  him, 
and  after  climbing,  clambering,  and  stumbling 
forward  and  upward  for  some  twenty  rods  or 
so,  he  tripped  and  pitched  forward  upon  his  face, 
where  he  lay  panting,  and  so  weak  that  he  could 
not  rise.  He  was  sure  he  heard  the  footsteps  of 
his  pursuer  but  a  short  distance  away,  and  the 
most  that  he  could  do  was  to  raise  his  head  and 
glance  furtively  in  the  direction.  He  had  not 
the  strength  absolutely  to  rise  to  his  feet  and 
run  away. 

Again  and  again  he  was  confident  that  the 
Apache  was  close  to  him,  but  still  he  did  not 
become  visible,  and  all  this  time  Fred  was  rap- 
idly regaining  his  strength.  In  a  very  short 
time  his  rapid  breathing  subsided,  and  he  felt 
his  old  vigor  and  vitality  creeping  back  into  his 
limbs.  He  was  ready  to  spring  to  his  feet 
again,  but  he  did  not  deem  it  best.  It  seemed 

9 


130  IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY. 

to  him  that  the  warrior  had  lost  sight  of  him, 
and  was  looking  about.  If  the  boy,  therefore, 
should  rise  to  his  feet,  he  would  be  the  more 
likely  to  be  seen,  and  if  he  remained  where  he 
was  he  was  sure  of  being  found. 

He  compromised  the  matter  by  crawling  for-  • 
ward  on  his  hands  and  knees,  listening  and 
looking,  and  continually  pausing  to  prevent 
creeping  into  the  arms  of  his  enemies.  All  this 
time  night  was  approaching,  and  with  the  pas- 
sage of  each  minute  came  a  corresponding  rise 
in  the  hopes  of  the  fugitive.  Fred  kept  moving 
forward  upon  his  hands  and  knees,  climbing 
higher  and  further  away  from  the  point  of 
danger. 

Everything  remained  as  silent  as  the  tomb. 

The  Apache  that  Fred  fancied  was  so  close 
upon  him  was,  in  reality,  pla}'ing  hide  and  seek 
with  the  Kiowas,  a  business  which  is  generally 
conducted  in  silence,  unless  the  stillness  be  broken 
by  the  occasional  crack  of  the  rifle,  or  the  death- 
yell  of  one  of  the  participants.  The  footsteps 
which  the  boy  fancied  he  heard  were  all  in  his 
imagination.  In  fact,  he  was  alone.  No  human 
eye  saw  him,  or  took  cognizance  of  his  move- 
ments. For  the  present  he  was  left  to  himself. 


IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY.  131 

There  was  but  One  who  held  him  in  view  and 
remembrance  at  this  critical  juncture.  To  Him 
Fred  appealed  again  and  again  to  lead  him 
through  the  labyrinth  of  peril,  and  to  permit 
him  to  return  in  safety  to  his  friends. 

Still  the  boy  picked  his  way  along  as  does  the 
frightened  animal,  and  still  he  failed  to  see  or 
hear  anything  of  his  enemy.  Meanwhile  the 
gloom  deepened,  and  with  the  passage  of  every 
moment  his  heart  lightened,  until  he  felt  that 
for  the  time  being,  at  least,  his  safety  was 
assured. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

THE  RECONNOISSANCE. 

IT  was  a  mystery  to  young  Munson  wliy  the 
shots  fired,  as  he  supposed,  by  the  Apaches, 
should  have  checked  his  pursuer,  who  was  so 
close  upon  him.  Had  he  known  that  they  came 
from  a  couple  of  hostile  Kiowas,  and  that  they 
were  intended  for  the  warrior  whose  hand  was 
outstretched  to  grasp  him,  the  matter  would  not 
have  been  so  hard  to  understand.  But  he  saw 
the  night  closing  in  about  him,  while  he  remained 
among  the  rocks,  moving  forward  in  the  same 
stealthy  manner,  upon  his  hands  and  knees,  and 
his  strained  ear  failed  to  catch  the  slightest 
sound  that  could  make  him  fear  that  any  of  his 
enemies  were  near  at  hand. 

Of  course  he  looked  with  all  the  eyes  at  his 
command,  but  they  also  stared  upon  a  blank,  so 
far  as  animated  creation  was  concerned.  At  last 
Fred  halted,  tired  out  with  this  species  of  loco- 
motion. 


132 


IX  THE   PECOS  COUNTRY.  133 

"I  do  believe  I've  given  them  the  slip,"  he  ex- 
claimed, his  heart  throbbing  more  than  ever  with 
renewed  hope.  "I  don't  exactly  understand  how 
it  was  done,  but  I  thank  the  Lord  all  the  more 
for  it." 

He  now  arose  to  his  feet  and  reconnoitered  his 
own  position.  So  far  as  he  could  judge,  he  was 
full}'  two  hundred  yards  away  from  and  above 
the  ravine  where  he  had  made  this  successful  at- 
tempt at  escape.  The  day  was  so  far  gone  by 
this  time  that  he  could  barely  discern  the  open 
space  which  led  through  the  mountain.  His  vie\v 
on  the  left  was  shut  off  by  the  angle  to  which 
reference  has  been  made,  and  on  the  right  the 
gathering  obscurity  ended  the  field  of  vision. 

As  soon  as  he  was  able  to  locate  the  gorge, 
his  eyes  roamed  up  and  down  in  quest  of  those 
from  whom  he  was  fleeing.  Not  a  glimpse  could 
be  obtained.  It  was  as  if  he  had  penetrated  for 
the  first  "time  a  solitude  never  before  trodden  by 
the  foot  of  man.  Satisfied  of  this  pleasant  fact, 
he  then  made  search  for  the  smoke  of  the  camp- 
fire  which  was  the  real  cause  of  his  escape. 

No  twinkling  point  of  light  revealed  its  loca- 
tion, but,  having  decided  where  it  was  first  seen, 
he  fancied  he  could  detect  the  faintest  outline  of 


134  IN  THE  TECOS  COUNTRY. 

S, 

a  column  of  vapor  rising  until,  clear  of  the  crest 
of  the  mountain  behind  it,  it  could  be  seen  out- 
lined against  the  sky  beyond.  He  more  than  sus- 
pected, however,  that  it  was  merely  imagination. 
Leaning  back  against  a  boulder,  the  lad  folded 
his  arms  and  endeavored  to  take  in  the  situa- 
tion in  its  entirety. 

"Thank  the  Lord,  that  I  have  a  good  start," 
he  mused,  his  heart  stirred  with  deep  gratitude 
at  the  remarkable  manner  in  which  he  had  eluded 
the  Apaches. 

With  the  knowledge  that  for  the  nonce  he  was 
clear  of  his  enemies,  several  other  facts  impressed 
themselves  upon  his  mind — facts  which  were  both 
important  and  unpleasant.  In  the  first  place,  he 
had  not  eaten  a  mouthful  of  food  since  morning, 
and  he  was  hungry.  He  had  swallowed  enough 
water  to  stave  off  the  more  uncomfortable  sen- 
sation of  thirst,  but  water  is  not  worth  much  to 
appease  the  hunger.  He  felt  the  need  of  food 
very  sorely. 

In  the  next  place,  he  rould  think  of  no  imme- 
diate means  of  getting  anything  to  eat.  He  had 
no  gun  or  pistol — nothing  more  than  his  simple 
jack-knife.  The  prospect  of  procuring  anything 


IN  THE   PECOS  COUNTRY.  135 

substantial  with  that  was  not  flattering  enough 
to  make  him  feel  hopeful. 

And  again,  now  that  he  had  freed  himself  of 
captivity,  how  was  he  to  make  his  way  back  to 
New  Boston,  where  friends  were  awaiting  him, 
with  little  hope  of  his  return  ?  He  had  traversed 
many  miles  since  the  preceding  night,  and  had 
gone  through  a  country  that  was  totally  un- 
known to  him.  To  attempt  to  retrace  his  foot- 
steps without  the  aid  of  a  horse  was  like  at- 
tempting that  which  was  impossible. 

While  in  the  act  of  fleeing,  he  thought  not  of 
these.  He  was  unconscious  of  hunger,  and  for- 
got that  he  was  so  many  miles  from  home;  but 
now  both  conditions  were  forced  upon  him  with 
anything  but  a  pleasant  vividness.  But  all  of 
Fred's  ingenuity  was  unequal  to  the  task  of  sug- 
gesting a  way  whereby  his  want  could  be  sup- 
plied. Even  had  he  a  gun,  there  was  not  much 
show  for  anything  like  game  in  the  darkness  of 
night,  and  thus,  under  the  most  favorable  cir- 
cumstances, he  would  be  forced  to  wait  until 
morning. 

"I'm  pretty  tired,"  he  said,  as  he  thought  over 
the  matter,  "and,  maybe,  if  I  get  asleep,  I  can 
keep  it  up  until  morning,  and  in  that  way  worry 


136  IN   THE   PECOS  COUNTRY. 

through  the  night.  But  I  tell  you,  Fred  Munson, 
I  would  like  to  have  a  good  square  meal  just 
now.  There  is  fruit  growing  here  and  there 
among  those  mountains,  but  a  chap  can't  find 
it  at  night.  Now,  if  there  was  only  some  camp 
of  the  hunters,  where  I  could  get  in  and — " 

He  abruptly  paused,  as  his  own  words  sug- 
gested an  idea. 

It  was  a  camp-fire  to  which  he  owed  his  es- 
cape. Why  couldn't  he  use  it  still  further?  Was 
it  not  likely  that  the  Indians  who  had  kindled 
it  had  taken  their  meals  there,  and  that  there 
might  be  some  remnants  of  the  feast  which  could 
be  used  to  satisfy  his  hunger  ? 

It  was  not  a  very  pleasant  prospect  to  con- 
template. It  was  like  going  back  into  the  lion's 
mouth;  nor,  indeed,  could  it  be  considered  a 
very  wise  proceeding  to  return  to  the  very  spot 
from  which  he  had  escaped  by  such  a  providen- 
tial interference.  But  a  hungry  or  thirsty  man 
is  not  in  the  best  mood  to  reason,  and  the 
incapacity  is  still  more  marked  in  an  excessively 
hungry  boy. 

The  prospect  of  getting  something  to  eat  over- 
shadowed all  other  questions,  and  after  several 
attempts  to  consider  the  matter  fairly,  Fred 


IN   THE  PECOS  COUNTRY  137 

came  to  the  conclusion  that  he  would  make  the 
attempt. 

To  do  this  it  was  necessary  to  go  back  over 
the  same  path  he  had  followed,  and  to  return  to 
the  very  spot  where  he  had  been  ready  to  break 
his  neck,  if  it  would  assist  him  in  escaping,  but 
a  short  time  before.  But  he  reasoned  that  he 
had  the  darkness  in  his  favor,  that  the  Indians 
were  not  likely  to  stay  in  the  same  place,  and 
that  none  of  them  would  be  looking  for  his 
return.  This,  together  with  the  prospect  of 
securing  something  to  satisfy  his  hunger,  easily 
decided  the  question.  Within  five  minutes  from 
the  time  the  thought  had  entered  his  head  he 
was  carefully  picking  his  way  down  the  mount- 
ain-side toward  the  ravine. 

Fred  did  not  forget  the  precaution  necessary 
in  a  movement  of  this  kind.  He  moved  as  silently 
as  he  could,  pausing  at  intervals  to  look  and 
listen;  but  the  way  remained  clear,  and  nothing 
occurred  to  excite  alarm  until  he  had  descended 
into  the  gorge  itself. 

At  this  precise  juncture,  he  was  startled  by  the 
sharp  crack  of  a  rifle,  which  seemed  to  come 
from  a  point  two  or  three  hundred  yards  away, 
directly  behind  him. 


138  IN  THE   PECOS  COUNTRY. 

In  his  terror,  his  first  fear  was  that  the  shot 
had  been  aimed  at  him,  and  he  started  to 
retrace  his  steps  —  but  before  he  went  any  dis- 
tance, he  reflected  that  that  could  not  be  and  he 
stood  motionless  for  a  few  minutes,  waiting  to 
see  what  -would  follow.  All  remained  as  quiet  as 
before,  and,  after  a  time,  he  resumed  his  cautious 
movement  along  the  ravine,  keeping  close  to  the 
side,  and  advancing  on  tip-toe,  like  a  thief  in 
the  night. 

The  further  he  got  along,  the  more  convinced 
did  he  become  that  he  was  venturing  upon  a 
fool-hardy  undertaking;  but  when  he  hesitated, 
his  hunger  seemed  to  intensify  and  speedily 
impelled  him  forward  again.  At  the  end  of  a 
half  hour  or  so,  he  reached  a  point  in  the  gorge 
which  he  judged  to  be  at  the  foot  of  where  the 
camp-fire  was,  and  he  began  the  more  difficult 
and  dangerous  task  of  approaching  that. 

As  upon  the  night  before,  there  was  a  moon  in 
the  sky,  but  there  were  also  clouds,  and  the 
intervening  rocks  and  stunted  vegetation  made 
the  light  treacherous  and  uncertain.  Shadows 
appeared  here  and  there,  which  looked  like 
phantoms  flitting  back  and  forth,  and  which 


IK  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY.  139 

caused  many  a  start  and  stop  upon  the  part  of 
the  young  scout. 

"I  wonder  where  they  have  gone?"  he  said  to 
himself  fully  a  score  of  times,  as  he  picked  his 
way  over  the  broken  land.  "Those  two  Apaches 
must  have  come  back  by  this  time,  and  I  hope 
they  knocked  the  other  one  in  the  head  for 
letting  me  get  away.  They  must  have  been 
looking  for  me,  but  I  don't  think  they  will  hunt 
in  this  place. 

Fred  had  made  his  way  but  a  short  distance 
up  the  side  of  the  mountain,  when  he  became 
assured  that  he  was  upon  the  right  track. 
Standing  upon  a  lower  plane  and  looking 
upward,  he  saw  that  the  column  of  smoke  from 
the  camp-fire  was  brought  in  relief  against  the 
sky  beyond.  The  vapor  was  of  nearly  the  same 
rarity  as  the  natural  atmosphere,  and  was 
almost  stationary — a  fact  which  also  proved 
that  the  fire  from  which  it  arose  had  not  been 
replenished,  as,  in  such  a  case,  a  disturbance 
would  have  been  produced  that  would  have  pre- 
vented this  stationary  feature. 

When  the  lad  was  within  some  fifty  yards  of 
the  camp-fire,  he  discovered  that  he  was  not 
nearly  as  hungry  as  he  supposed,  and,  at  the 


140  IN  THE   PECOS  COUNTRY. 

same   time,  he   began   to    suspect   that   he  had 
entered  upon  a  very  risky  undertaking. 

"I  don't  know  how  I  came  to  do  it,"  he  said 
to  himself,  as  he  hesitated.  If  there's  a  camp-fire 
in  this  part  of  the  world,  it  must  have  been 
kindled  by  Indians,  and  it's  very  likely  that  some 
of  them  are  hanging  around,  so  that  if  I  attempt 
to  get  too  close,  I'll  tumble  right  into  their 
hands.  I  can  wait  till  to-morrow  for  something 
to  eat,  so  I  guess  I'll  go  back." 

But,  curiously  enough,  he  had  scarcely  started 
to  act  upon  this  decision  when  he  was  tor- 
mented more  than  ever  with  hunger,  and  he 
turned  about  with  a  desperate  resolve. 

"I  won't  stop  again!     I  will  go!" 

As  has  been  already  intimated,  the  camp-fire, 
which  had  played  such  an  important  part  in  the 
events  of  the  afternoon  had  been  started  imme- 
diately behind  a  large  rock,  the  evident  purpose 
being  to  mislead  the  very  ones  who  were  decieved 
by  it.  Consequently,  the  boy  could  not  gain  a 
fair  view  of  it  without  making  a  detour  to  the 
right  or  left,  or  by  coming  rather  suddenly  upon 
it  from  behind  the  rock.  Just  then  it  was  shut 
out  entirely  from  view. 

Fred  stole  along  like  a  veritable  Indian  scout, 


IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY.  141 

until  he  was  within  arms'  length  of  the  rock. 
Then  he  sank  down  upon  his  hands  and  knees, 
and,  making  sure  that  he  was  enveloped  in 
shadow,  he  crept  forward,  with  the  utmost 
possible  stealth,  until  at  last  he  reached  a  point 
where  he  had  but  to  thrust  his  head  forward 
around  the  corner,  and  the  camp-fire  would  be 
before  him. 

Here  it  was  natural  that  he  should  pause 
awhile  longer,  for  the  very  crisis  of  this  perilous 
task  had  been  reached. 

The  silence  remained  as  profound  as  the  tomb. 
Not  a  rustle,  not  the  slightest  sound,  even  such 
as  would  have  been  made  by  a  sleeping  person 
— surely  no  one  could  be  there.  The  camp-fire 
must  be  deserted  and  all  his  precaution  useless. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

FORAGING  FOR   FOOD. 

FRED'S  fear  was  that  if  any  of  the  Apaches 
were  near  at  hand  they  would  hear  the  beating 
of  his  heart — so  intense  was  his  excitement  and 
anxiety.  But  delay  seemed  only  to  increase  it, 
and,  pressing  close  to  the  corner,  he  removed  his 
cap  and  stealthily  shoved  his  head  forward  until 
he  could  look  along  the  other  side 

At  the  first  glance,  he  jerked  back  as  if  he  had 
caught  the  flash  of  a  rifle  aimed  at  him,  for  the 
sight  that  he  gazed  upon  was  startling  enough. 
Within  ten  feet  of  him  sat  an  Indian  warrior,  his 
knees  gathered  up,  his  back  against  the  arch, 
and  his  head  bowed  as  if  in  slumber. 

The  lad's  first  supposition  was  that  the  red- 
skin was  waiting  for  him,  and  had  seen  his  head 
as  it  was  thrust  forward  and  drawn  back  again. 
But,  as  he  listened,  there  was  no  sound  to  be- 
tray any  movement,  and  when  he  recalled  the 
terrifying  picture  that  caught  his  eye,  he  remem- 
bered that  the  face  of  the  warrior  was  not  turned 


IN   THE   PECOS   COUNTRY.  143 

toward  him,  so  that  it  was  hardly  to  be  sup- 
posed that  he  could  have  observed  the  stealthy 
movement.  By  carefully  considering  the  matter 
and  reassuring  himself,  Fred  soon  gained  suffi- 
cient courage  to  repeat  the  attempt. 

This  time,  after  pushing  his  head  forward 
enough  to  see  the  red-skin,  he  held  it  motionless 
sufficiently  long  to  take  in  the  entire  picture. 

The  first  thing  which  impressed  itself  upon  his 
mind  was  the  fact  that  the  Indian  was  not  an 
Apache,  or  at  least,  did  not  belong  to  the  trio 
which  had  had  him  in  charge.  His  dress  and 
make-up  were  altogether  different,  and  he  clearly 
belonged  to  another  tribe.  The  truth  of  it  was, 
he  was  a  Kiowa,  and  his  attitude  was  that  of 
a  sleeping  person. 

A  dirty  blanket  was  gathered  about  his  shoul- 
ders, and  his  head,  with  its  straggling  horse-hair 
covering,  drooped  so  far  forward  that  the  line  of 
the  face  was  at  right  angles  with  that  of  the 
chest.  The  up-drawn  knees  were  separated  enough 
to  permit  a  long,  gleaming  rifle  to  rest  between 
them,  the  barrel  partly  supported  by  the  shoul- 
der, with  the  stock  at  his  feet,  while  if  the  aqui- 
line nose,  clear  cut  against  the  dim  fire  beyond, 
had  descended  three  or  four  inches  lower,  it 


144  IN   THE   PECOS  COUNTRY. 

would  have  been  shut  off  from  view  by  the  same 
knees.  The  blanket  was  thrown  back  far  enough 
to  reveal  the  body,  legs  and  moccasins  of  the 
warrior,  which  were  those  of  a  man  of  powerful 
frame  and  great  activity. 

The  camp-fire  had  smoldered  as  though  it  had 
not  been  replenished  for  hours.  Still  it  diffused  a 
steady,  subdued  glow,  from  the  other  side  of  the 
figure,  as  if  the  latter  were  stamped  in  ink,  and 
the  picture  was  a  striking  one  in  every  respect. 

After  Fred  had  scrutinized  it  a  few  minutes  he 
gathered  more  courage  and  took  in  the  surround- 
ings. These  were  not  very  extensive,  but  such 
as  they  were,  they  were  of  a  hopeful  nature. 
Just  in  front  of  the  sleeping  Indian  were  several 
objects  lying  upon  the  leaves,  which  he  was  cer- 
tain were  the  bones  of  some  animal,  most  prob- 
ably a  deer  or  buffalo. 

"And  if  they  are,  there's  meat  upon  them," 
was  the  consideration  of  the  lad,  who  smacked 
his  lips  in  anticipation. 

That  might  be,  but  how  \vere  they  to  be  ob- 
tained? That  was  the  all-important  question. 
It  was  not  to  be  supposed  that  the  most  skillful 
scout  in  the  West  could  creep  up  to  the  feet  of  a 
sleeping  Kiowa  and  gather  some  food  without 


IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY.  145 

an  almost  certainty  of  detection.  But  for  the  fact 
that  Fred  was  so  hungry,  nothing  could  have  in- 
duced him  to  make  the  attempt.  As  it  was,  he 
believed  that  he  could  succeed.  At  any  rate,  he 
resolved  that  the  attempt  should  be  made. 

"Maybe  he'll  wake  up  and  turn  over,"  reflected 
the  boy,  as  he  fixed  his  eyes  upon  the  Kiowa  and 
watched  him,  like  a  cat  waiting  for  a  mouse  to 
come  within  its  reach.  "I  wonder  whether  In- 
dians snore,"  added  Fred,  a  moment  later.  "I 
can't  hear  him  breathe,  and  yet  his  chest  seems 
to  rise  and  sink,  just  as  regular  as  anybody's." 

Some  ten  minutes'  more  waiting  brought  the 
boy  to  the  second  crisis  in  his  perilous  undertak- 
ing. With  another  ejaculated  prayer  he  crept  out 
from  the  rock,  and  moved  toward  the  "feast," 
as  he  believed  it  to  be. 

He  knew  where  the  fragments  lay,  and,  head- 
ing in  that  direction,  he  moved  carefully  forward, 
while  he  kept  his  eyes  fixed  upon  that  dreaded 
red-skin,  who  certainly  seemed  a  remiss  sentinel 
when  in  an  enemy's  country.  Only  a  few  feet  in- 
terposed, and  these  were  speedily  passed  over, 
and  Fred  stretched  out  his  hand  to  lay  it  upon 
what  seemed  the  greatest  prize  of  his  life. 

So,  indeed,  it  proved. 
10 


146  IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY. 

The  Kiowas,  at  some  time  during  the  day,  had 
cooked  some  antelope  meat  by  that  very  camp- 
fire,  and  had  scattered  the  remnants  all  round. 
The  first  thing  which  Fred  grasped  was  a  bone, 
upon  which  still  remained  considerable  half- 
cooked  meat.  His  hunger  was  so  consuming  at 
that  moment  that,  forgetful  of  the  red-skin  sit- 
ting so  near,  he  began  knawing  the  bone  like  a 
famished  dog. 

Never  did  food  taste  sweeter  and  more 
delicious ! 

If  the  boy's  jaws  had  been  a  little  stronger, 
he  would  have  crunched  up  the  bone  also — but 
he  cleaned  it  of  its  nutritious  covering  so  speedily 
and  cleanly  that  it  seemed  as  if  done  by  some 
wonderful  machinery. 

When  he  found  that  no  more  remained,  he 
clawed  about  in  the  semi-darkness  for  more  and 
found  it.  Indeed,  it  looked  very  much  as  if  the 
Kiowas  had  left  one  of  their  rude  meals  prepared 
for  some  expected  visitors. 

When  fairly  under  way,  Fred  did  not  stop 
until  he  had  fully  sated  his  appetite,  and  there 
proved  to  be  enough  to  satisfy  all  his  pur- 
pose. Then,  when  he  craved  no  more,  he  awoke 


IN  THE   PECOS  COUNTRY.  147 

to  a  keen  realization  of  the  extremely  perilous 
position  in  which  he  was  placed. 

"I  had  better  dig  out  of  here,"  was  the  thought 
that  came  to  him,  as  he  glanced  furtively  at  the 
motionless  figure.  "He  doesn't  see  me  yet,  but 
there  is  no  telling  how  soon  he  will." 

And  now  the  extraordinary  good  fortune 
which  had  attended  the  boy  up  to  this  time 
seemed  to  desert  him.  He  had  scarcely  begun 
his  return  to  the  cover  of  the  rock,  when  he  felt 
a  sudden  desire  to  sneeze  coming  over  him.  He 
grasped  his  nose,  in  the  hope  of  checking  it — 
but  it  only  made  matters  worse,  and  the  explo- 
sion \vhich  instantly  followed  was  twice  as 
great  as  it  would  have  been  otherwise. 

Poor  Fred  was  in  despair! 

He  felt  that  it  was  all  over,  and  he  was  pow- 
erless to  move.  He  was  like  one  overtaken  by  a 
dreadful  nightmare,  when  he  finds  himself  unable 
to  escape  some  appalling  evil  that  is  settling 
down  upon  him.  He  turned,  with  a  despairing 
glance,  to  the  red-skin,  expecting  to  see  the  glit- 
ter of  his  tomahawk  or  knife  as  it  descended. 

The  warrior  did  not  stir!  Could  Indian  sleep 
so  sound? 

Surely  not,  and  the  boy  just  then  recalled  the 


148  IN  THE   PECOS  COUNTRY. 

fate  of  the  sentinel  Thompson,  a  couple  of  nights 
before. 

"I  believe  he  is  dead,"  he  muttered,  looking 
attentively  toward  him,  and  feeling  a  speedy 
return  of  his  courage. 

With  a  lingering  fear  and  doubt  besetting  him, 
he  crept  around  the  corner  of  the  rock,  taking 
one  of  the  bones  as  he  did  so,  and,  when  in 
position,  he  gave  it  such  a  toss  that  it  dropped 
directly  upon  the  head  of  the  unconscious  red 
man. 

This  was  not  a  very  prudent  way  of  learning 
whether  a  man  was  sleeping  temporially  or 
eternally,  when  so  much  depended  upon  the  de- 
cision of  the  question,  for,  if  he  were  only  taking 
a  nap,  he  would  be  certain  to  resent  the  taking 
of  any  such  liberties  with  his  person.  The  test, 
however,  was  effectual.  The  bone  struck  his 
head,  and  glanced  as  though  it  had  fallen  against 
the  surface  of  a  rock,  and  Fred  could  no  longer 
doubt  that  the  red-skin  had  been  slain  while  sit- 
ting in  this  very  attitude  by  the  fire. 

Such  was  the  case.  There  had  been  plotting 
and  counterplotting.  While  the  Kiowas  were 
playing  their  tricks  upon  the  Apaches,  the  latter 


IN  THE   PECOS   COUNTRY.  149 

managed  to  a  certain  extent  to  turn  the  tables. 
When  they  branched  out  upon  their  reconnoiter- 
ing  expedition,  Waukko  was  engaged  in  the  same 
business.  When  he  discovered  the  single  sentinel 
sitting  by  the  fire,  he  crept  up  like  a  phantom 
behind  him,  and  drove  his  hunting  knife  \vith 
such  swift  silence  that  his  victim  gave  only  a 
spasmodic  quiver  and  start,  and  was  dead. 

Waukko  placed  him  in  the  position  he  was 
occupying  at  the  time  he  first  caught  sight  of 
him,  and  then  left  his  companions  to  learn  the 
truth  for  themselves,  while  he  crept  back  to 
learn  that  his  prisoner  had  given  his  captor  the 
slip. 

Fred  Munson  was  terrified  when  he  found  he 
was  standing  by  the  dead  form  of  his  friend 
Thompson,  a  couple  of  nights  before,  and  so,  in 
the  present  instance,  a  certain  awe  came  over 
him,  as  it  naturally  does  when  a  person  stands 
in  the  presence  of  death.  But,  for  all  that,  the 
boy  was  heartily  glad,  and  he  had  wisdom 
enough  to  improve  the  splendid  opportunity  that 
thus  came  to  him,  and  for  which  he  had  hardly 
dared  to  pray. 

"I  don't  see  what  a  dead  man  can  want  of  a 


150  IN  THE  PKCOS  COUNTRY. 

gun,"  he  muttered,  as  he  moved  rather  timidly 
toward  the  figure,  "and,  therefore,  it  will  not  be 
thieving  for  me  to  take  it." 

There  wag'  a  little  involuntary  shuddering  when 
he  grasped  the  barrel  and  sought  to  draw  the 
weapon  from  its  resting-place.  The  inanimate 
warrior  seemed  to  clutch  it,  as  though  unwilling 
to  let  it  go,  and  the  feeling  that  he  was  strug- 
gling with  a  dead  man  was  anything  but  com- 
fortable. Fred  persevered,  however,  and  speedily 
had  the  satisfaction  of  feeling  that  the  rifle  was 
in  his  possession. 

The  weapon  was  heavy  for  one  of  his  size, 
but  it  was  a  thousand  times  preferable  to 
nothing. 

He  stood  "hefting"  it,  as  the  expression  goes, 
and  turning  it  over  in  his  hand,  when  he  heard 
the  report  of  a  second  gun,  this  time  so  close 
that  he  started,  thinking  it  had  been  aimed  at 
him. 

Such  was  not  the  case;  but  at  that  moment 
there  came  an  overpowering  conviction  that  he 
was  doing  a  most  foolhardy  thing  in  remaining 
so  conspicuously  in  view,  when  the  red-skins  were 
liable  to  return  at  any  moment  and  wreak  their 


IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY.  151 

vengeance  upon  him  for  the  robbery,  to  say 
nothing  of  the  death,  of  their  comrade,  which 
might  be  attributed  to  him.  So  he  hurriedly  and 
quietly  withdrew  into  the  outer  darkness. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

ALONE  IN  THE  RAVINE. 

FRED  MTJNSON  felt  that  he  had  been  extremely- 
fortunate,  not  only  in  securing  a  good,  substan- 
tial supper,  but  in  getting  a  rifle.  With  it  he 
could  guard  against  danger  and  starvation.  In 
that  country,  and  especially  among  those  moun- 
tains, was  quite  an  abundance  of  game,  and  he 
had  learned  how  to  aim  a  gun  too  well  to  pre- 
vent his  throwing  any  shots  away. 

By  this  time  the  night  was  well  advanced,  and 
he  concluded  that  the  wisest  thing  he  could  do 
was  to  hunt  up  some  place  where  he  could  sleep 
until  morning.  This  did  not  seem  to  be  difficult 
in  a  country  so  cut  up  and  broken  by  rocks,  and 
he  moved  away  from  the  camp-fire  with  a  sense 
of  deep  gratitude  for  the  extraordinary  good  for- 
tune that  had  followed  him  from  the  time  Lone 
Wolf  had  withdrawn  him  from  the  main  party. 

"Now,  if  I  could  only  get  a  horse,"  he  said  to 
himself,  "I  would  be  set  up  in  business.  I  could 
find  the  way  back  to  New  Boston  in  a  day  or 

152 


IX  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY.  153 

two,  shooting  what  game  I  want,  and  keeping 
out  of  the  way  of  all  Indians.  I  wonder  what 
has  become  of  Sut  Simpson  ?  I  expected  he  would 
be  somewhere  around  here  before  this.  It  would 
be  very  handy  to  come  across  him  just  now  and 
have  him  help  me  home.  And  there's  Mickey 
Rooney.  He  went  off  on  one  of  the  best  horses ; 
and  if  he  could  pick  me  up  and  take  me  along, 
it  wouldn't  need  much  time  for  us  to  get  back 
home.  Ah,  if  I  only  had  Hurricane  here,"  he 
sighed.  "How  we  would  go  back  through  that 
ravine,  leaving  behind  us  the  best  horses  in  the 
country;  but  there's  no  use  of  thinking  of  that. 
Hurricane  is  at  home,  and  so  he  can't  be  here, 
and  I  must  trust  to  Providence  to  get  back.  I 
have  something  now  that  is  of  more  use  than  a 
horse.  If  I  miss  with  one  charge,  I  can — " 

He  stopped  suddenly  in  amazement,  for  at  that 
juncture  he  recalled  a  piece  of  great  stupidity 
which  he  had  committed.  He  had  secured  the 
rifle,  and  }ret  he  had  left  without  one  thought  of 
the  indispensable  ammunition  that  was  required 
to  make  the  weapon  of  any  use.  He  did  not 
know  whether  the  gun  in  his  hand  was  loaded 
or  not,  in  which  latter  case  it  was  of  no  more 
account  than  a  piece  of  wood. 


154  IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY. 

X 

"Well,  if  that  don't  beat  everything,"  he  mut- 
tered, at  a  loss  to  understand  how  he  could  have 
committed  such  an  oversight.  "I  never  once 
thought  of  it  till  this  minute,  and  now  it's  too 
late!" 

The  reflection  of  his  great  need  inclined  him  to 
return  to  the  camp-fire  and  incur  the  risk  in- 
volved in  the  effort  to  repair  the  blunder  that  he 
had  committed. 

"  That  Indian  cannot  hurt  me,  and  I  don't  sup- 
pose that  any  of  the  others  have  come  back.  It 
won't  take  me  long  to  get  what  I  want;  and  I 
will  do  it,  too." 

He  was  but  a  short  distance  from  the  place, 
and,  having  decided  upon  the  proper  course,  he 
moved  rapidly  back  upon  the  path  he  had  just 
trod,  and  in  a  few  minutes  was  beside  the  rock, 
which  was  becoming  familiar  in  a  certain  sense. 
Mindftd  of  the  danger  to  which  one  was  always 
exposed  in  that  section,  Fred  peered  around  the 
rock  with  the  same  silence  and  caution  as  before. 
The  result  was  a  disappointment.  The  Kiowa 
had  disappeared. 

"Now  it  can't  be  that  he  was  only  pretending 
he  was  asleep  all  the  time,"  thought  the  puzzled 


IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY.  155 

lad.  "And  yet,  if  he  wasn't,  how  was  it  he  man- 
aged to  get  away?" 

A  few  minutes'  reflection  convinced  Fred  that 
it  was  impossible  that  there  should  have  been 
any  such  thing  as  he  had  imagined  at  first.  The 
more  reasonable  theory  was  that  some  of  the 
Kiowas  had  returned  and  taken  the  body  of  their 
comrade  away,  fearful,  perhaps,  that  some  of  the 
Apaches  might  put  in  an  appearance  again  and 
rob  him  of  his  scalp.  However,  whatever  the  ex- 
planation was,  Fred  saw  that  his  expedition  was 
a  failure.  There  was  nothing  to  be  gained  by 
remaining  where  he  was,  while  there  was  unmis- 
takable risk  of  being  detected  by  some  of  the 
copper-colored  prowlers. 

He  noticed  that  the  camp-fire  bore  very  much 
the  same  appearance  as  when  he  last  saw  it,  and 
the  probabilities  were  that  the  Kiowas  were 
some  distance  away  at  that  very  time;  but  the 
young  fugitive  had  already  run  enough  risk,  with- 
out incurring  any  more,  and  he  resolved  to  spend 
an  hour  or  two  in  getting  out  of  the  neighbor- 
hood altogether. 

There  was  little  choice  of  direction,  but  it  was 
natural  that  he  should  prefer  the  back-trail,  and, 
clambering  down  into  the  ravine  again,  he  turned 


156  IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY. 

his  face  to  the  southward,  directly  through  the 
ravine  that  he  had  traversed  during  the  day 
upon  the  back  of  Waukko's  mustang. 

"I  can  tell  when  I  reach  the  place  where  Lone 
Wolf  and  his  men  left  us,"  he  said  to  himself. 
"That  will  take  me  a  good  while,  but  when  I 
do  find  it,  the  trail  will  be  so  much  larger  and 
plainer  that  there  will  be  no  trouble  about  fol- 
lowing it,  but  it  will  take  me  several  days  to  do 
it,  and  it  is  going  to  be  hard  \vork.  I  need  all 
the  time  possible,  so  I  guess  it  will  be  best  to 
keep  going  all  night." 

There  was  not  so  much  amusement  in  this  as 
he  fancied,  but  he  kept  it  up  bravely  for  some 
two  or  three  hours,  during  which  he  made  good 
headway.  The  walking  was  comparatively  easy 
in  the  ravine,  which  was  one  of  those  openings 
encountered  at  intervals  among  the  mountains 
in  the  West,  and  which  are  known  under  the 
name  of  passes.  In  many  places  it  would  be 
utterly  out  of  the  question  for  parties  to  force 
their  way  through  the  chains  but  for  these 
avenues,  which  nature  has  kindly  furnished. 

The  moonlight  was  just  sufficient  to  make  the 
boy  feel  uneasy.  He  could  discern  objects, 
although  indistinctly,  nearly  a  hundred  yards 


IN  THE   PECOS  COUNTRY.  157 

away,  and  where  the  character  of  the  gorge 
was  continually  shifting  to  a  certain  extent 
there  was  abundant  play  for  the  imagination. 

He  had  been  walking  but  a  short  time  when 
he  abruptly  halted,  under  the  impression  that  he 
had  seen  an  Indian  run  across  the  gorge  directly 
in  front  of  him.  This  caused  a  wilder  throbbing 
of  his  heart,  and  another  examination  of  his 
gun,  which  was  loaded,  as  he  had  assured  him- 
self some  time  before,  and  ready  at  any  time  to 
do  him  one  good  turn,  if  no  more. 

"He  wouldn't  have  skipped  over  in  that  style 
if  he  had  known  I  was  so  near,"  was  the  reflec- 
tion of  the  boy,  as  he  sheltered  himself  in  the 
shadow  of  the  rocks  and  looked  and  listened. 
"How  did  he  know  but  what  I  might  have 
picked  him  off?  What  was  to  hinder  me  ?  If  he 
didn't  know  I  was  here,  why,  it  ain't  likely 
that  he  would  loaf  along  the  side  of  the  ravine." 

By  such  a  course  of  reasoning,  he  was  not 
long  in  convincing  himself  that  the  way  was 
open  for  his  advance.  He  hurried  by  on  tip-toe, 
and  drew  a  long  breath  of  relief  when  certain 
that  he  had  passed  the  dangerous  spot.  But  he 
was  only  a  short  distance  beyond  when  his 
hair  fairly  arose  on  end,  for  he  became  certain 


158  IN   THE  PECOS  COUNTRY. 

that  he  heard  the  groan  of  a  man  among  the 
boulders  over  his  head. 

"I  wonder  \vhat  the  matter  is  there?"  he 
whispered,  peering  upward  in  the  gloom  and 
shadow.  "It  may  be  some  white  man  that  the 
Indians  have  left  for  dead,  and  that  still  has 
some  life  in  his  body,  or  it  may  be  an  Indian 
himself  who  has  met  with  an  accident  — 
helloa!" 

Just  then  it  sounded  again,  and  a  cold  shiver 
of  terror  crept  over  him  from  head  to  foot,  as 
he  was  able  to  locate  the  precise  point  from 
which  it  came.  The  frightful  groaning  did  not 
stop  as  suddenly  as  before,  but  rose  and  sank, 
with  a  sound  like  the  wail  of  some  suffering 
human  being. 

As  Fred  stood  trembling  and  listening,  his 
shuddering  fear  collapsed;  for  the  sound  which 
had  transfixed  him  with  such  dread,  he  now  recog- 
nized as  the  whistling  of  the  wind,  which,  slight 
in  itself,  was  still  manipulated  in  some  peculiar 
fashion  by  a  nook  in  the  rocks  overhead. 

"That  does  sound  odd  enough  to  scare  a  per- 
son," he  muttered,  as  he  resumed  his  walk.  "It 
must  be  a  regular  trumpet-blast  when  the  wind 
is  high,  for  there  isn't  much  now." 


IX  THE   PECOS  COUNTR\.  159 

The  two  incidents  resulting  so  harmlessly,  Fred 
was  inspired  with  greater  confidence,  and  ad- 
vanced at  a  more  rapid  walk  along  the  ravine, 
suffering  no  check  until  he  had  gone  fully  a  mile 
further.  Just  then,  while  striding  along  with 
increasing  courage,  he  came  to  a  place  where 
the  side  of  the  ravine  was  perpendicular  for  two 
or  three  hundred  feet. 

He  was  close  to  this,  so  as  to  use  the  protec- 
tion of  the  shadow,  and  was  dreaming  of  no 
danger,  when  a  rattling  of  gravel  and  debris 
caused  him  to  look  up,  and  he  saw  an  immense 
mass  of  rock,  that  had  become  loosened  in  some 
way,  descending  straight  for  his  head. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

THE  MYSTERIOUS  PURSUER. 

YOUNG  MUNSON  made  a  sudden  bound  out- 
ward, and,  just  as  he  did  so,  a  mass  of  rock  weigh- 
ing fully  a  dozen  tons,  fell  upon  the  precise  spot 
where  he  had  stood,  missing  him  so  narrowly 
that  the  blast  of  wind,  or  rather  concussion  of 
the  air,  was  plainly  felt.  The  boulder  broke  into 
several  pieces,  its  momentum  being  so  terrific 
that  the  ground  for  several  feet  around  was 
jarred  as  if  by  an  earthquake. 

The  lad  was  overcome  for  a  moment  or  two, 
for  he  realized  how  narrow  his  escape  was  from 
a  terrible  and  instantaneous  death. 

"That  was  a  little  closer  than  I  ever  want  to 
come  again,"  he  exclaimed.  "It  seems  to  me 
that  a  person  is  always  likely  to  get  killed,  no 
matter  where  he  is  or  what  he  is  doing.  I  don't 
suppose  that  anybody  threw  that  down  at  me," 
he  continued,  in  a  half-doubting  voice,  as  he 
stepped  a  few  paces  back  and  again  peered  into 
the  gloom. 


160 


IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY.  161 

If  it  had  been  during  the  day-time,  he  might 
have  suspected  that  some  scamp  had  managed 
to  pry  the  mass  loose,  and  to  send  it  crashing 
downward  straight  for  his  head.  But  as  the 
case  stood,  such  a  thing  could  not  have  taken 
place. 

Fred  continued  his  flight  until  nearly  midnight, 
by  which  time  his  fatigue  became  so  great  that 
he  began  to  hunt  a  place  in  which  to  spend  the 
remainder  of  the  night.  He  had  not  yet  seen 
any  wild  animals,  and  was  hopeful  that  he 
would  suffer  no  disturbance  from  them.  The 
single  charge  of  his  rifle  was  to  precious  to  be 
thrown  away  upon  any  such  game  as  that. 

The  lad  was  in  the  very  act  of  leaving  the  ra- 
vine, when  his  step  was  arrested  by  a  sound  too 
distinct  to  be  mistaken.  It  was  not  imagination 
this  time,  and  he  paused  to  identify  it.  The 
sound  was  fault  and  of  the  nature  of  a  jarring 
or  murmur.  He  suspected  that  it  was  caused  by 
horses'  hoofs,  and  he  listened  but  a  few  minutes 
when  he  became  certain  that  such  was  the 
fact. 

"There  must  be  a  big  lot  of  them,"  he  thought, 
as  he  listened  to  the  sound  growing  plainer  and 
plainer  every  minute.  "I  wonder  if  Lone  Wolf 


162  IN  THE   PECOS   COUNTRY. 

and  his  men  have  not  done  what  they  started  to 
do  and  are  going  round  home  again?" 

Judging  from  the  clamping  hoofs,  such  might 
have  been  the  case.  At  all  events,  there  was 
every  reason  for  believing  that  a  party  of  horse- 
men -were  in  the  ravine  and  that  they  were 
headed  in  his  direction. 

Fred  made  up  his  mind  to  wait  where  he  was 
until  they  passed  by.  He  had  no  fear  of  being 
seen,  when  the  opportunity  for  hiding  was  all 
that  could  be  desired,  and,  lying  flat  upon  his 
face,  he  awaited  the  result. 

Nearer  and  nearer  came  the  tramp,  tramp,  the 
noise  of  hoofs  mingling  in  a  dull  thud  that 
sounded  oddly  in  the  stillness  of  the  night  to  the 
watching  and  listening  lad. 

"Here  they  come,"  he  muttered,  before  he  saw 
them;  but  the  words  were  hardly  out  of  his 
mouth  when  a  shadowy  figure  came  into  view, 
instantly  followed  by  a  score  of  others,  all  ming- 
ling and  blending  in  one  indistinguishable  mass. 

The  forms  of  animals  and  riders  were  plainly 
discernible,  but  they  came  in  too  promiscuous 
fashion  to  be  counted,  and  they  were  gone  al- 
most as  soon  as  they  were  seen.  Fred  was  con- 
fident that  thirty  warriors  galloped  by  him  in 
the  stillness  of  the  night. 


IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY.  163 

"I  believe  it  was  Lone  Wolf  and  some  of  his 
men,"  he  muttered,  as  he  clambered  down  from 
his  place  among  the  rocks.  Having  been  thor- 
oughly awakened  by  what  he  had  seen,  he  de- 
termined to  walk  an  hour  or  more  longer,  for  he 
felt  that  the  best  time  for  him  to  journey  was 
during  the  protecting  darkness  of  night. 

"There  ain't  anybody  to  make  me  get  up 
early,"  he  reasoned,  "and  when  I  go  to  sleep  I 
can  stick  to  it  as  long  as  I  want  to.  It  seems 
to  me  that  if  I  walk  all  I  can  tonight,  and  keep 
at  it  the  most  of  tomorrow,  I  ought  to  be  some- 
where near  the  place  where  we  came  in  among 
these  mountains.  Then  a  day  or  two's  tramp- 
ing over  the  back  trail  will  take  me  pretty  nearly 
to  New  Boston — that  is,  if  nobody  gobbles  me 
up.  I've  got  a  rough  road  before  me,  but  God 
has  guided  me  thus  far,  and  I'll  trust  him  clean 
through.  I've  had  some  wonderful  escapes  to 
tell  about—" 

He  was  too  wide  awake  and  too  much  on  the 
alert  to  forget  precisely  where  he  was,  or  to  fail 
to  take  in  whatever  should  occur  of  an  alarming 
nature.  That  which  now  startled  him  and  sud- 
denly cut  short  his  musings  was  the  sound  of  a 
horse's  hoofs,  close  behind  him. 


164-  IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY. 

Fred  had  been  duped  by  his  own  fears  and  im- 
aginings so  many  times  that  he  could  not  be 
served  so  again,  and,  as  he  was  not  apprehend- 
ing anything  of  the  kind  at  that  moment,  there 
was  no  possibility  of  escape  from  the  reality  of 
the  sound.  He  halted  and  turned  his  head  like 
lightning,  grasping  his  rifle  in  his  nervous,  deter- 
mined way  as  he  peered  back  into  the  gloom, 
whispering  to  himself: 

"That  must  be  Lone  Wolf  or  some  of  the  war- 
riors coming  back  to  look  for  me." 

This  was  rather  vague  theorizing,  however. 
Look  and  stare  as  much  as  he  chose,  he  could 
detect  nothing  that  resembled  man  or  animal. 
He  shrank  to  one  side  and  waited  several  min- 
utes, in  the  hope  that  the  thing  would  explain 
itself.  But  it  did  not,  and,  after  waiting  some 
time,  he  resumed  his  journey  along  the  ravine, 
keeping  close  to  the  shadow  on  the  right  side, 
and  using  eyes  and  ears  to  guard  against  the  in- 
sidious approach  of  any  kind  of  foe. 

Sometimes,  under  such  circumstances,  when  a 
sound  has  very  nearly  or  quite  died  out  in  the 
stillness,  there  seems  to  come  a  peculiar  eddy  or 
turn  of  wind,  or  that  which  causes  the  sound, 
passes  for  an  instant  at  a  point  which  is  so  sit- 


IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY.  165 

tmted  as  to  impel  the  waves  of  air  directly  to 
the  ear  of  the  listener.  Fred  did  not  exactly 
understand  how  this  thing  could  happen,  but  he 
had  known  of  something  of  the  kind,  and  he  was 
gradually  bringing  himself  to  explain  the  thing 
in  that  fashion,  when  his  theory  was  upset  by 
such  a  sudden,  violent  rattling  of  hoofs,  so  close 
behind  him,  that  he  leaped  to  one  side,  fearful  of 
being  trampled  upon. 

"That's  a  pretty  way  to  come  upon  a  fellow! " 
he  gasped,  whirling  about  with  the  purpose  of 
shooting  the  red-skin  for  his  startling  introduc- 
tion. 

But  neither  rider  nor  horseman  was  visible. 

The  watcher  could  scarcely  believe  the  evidence 
of  his  own  senses.  It  seemed  to  him  that  the 
Apache,  as  he  believed  him  to  be,  must  have 
turned  abruptly  aside,  into  some  opening  in  the 
side  of  the  ravine,  but  he  could  not  remember 
having  seen  any  place  that  would  admit  of  such 
strategy.  When  he  came  to  reflect  upon  it,  it 
seemed  impossible. 

"Well,  that  beats  everything,"  he  said,  with  a 
perplexed  sigh.  "That  sounded  so  close  that  I 
expected  to  be  run  over  before  I  could  get  out  of 
the  way,  and  now  he's  gone." 


166  IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY. 

He  waited  some  minutes,  and,  hearing  and  see- 
ing nothing,  once  more  resumed  his  stealthy  way 
along  the  gorge,  a  new,  shivering  fear  gradually 
creeping  over  him,  as  it  does  over  anyone  who 
suspects  himself  in  the  presence  of  the  unexplain- 
able  and  unnatural. 

"I  wonder  whether  they  have  ghosts  in  this 
part  of  the  world?"  he  said  to  himself.  "  I  used 
to  hear  the  men  talk  of  such  things,  but  father 
said  there  was  nothing  in  them,  and  so  I  didn't 
believe  them — but  I  don't  know  what  father 
would  say  or  think  if  he  was  in  my  place." 

There  was  the  strong  counter-belief,  also — the 
conviction  that  most  likely  there  was  a  reality 
about  the  thing — which  kept  Fred  on  the  qui 
vive.  He  was  determined,  if  possible,  to  prevent 
a  repetition  of  the  startling  surprise  of  a  few  min- 
utes before.  He  scrutinized  the  side  of  the  ravine 
as  he  walked  along,  on  the  lookout  for  any  open- 
ing or  crevice  which  would  permit  a  man  and 
a  horse  to  find  shelter.  It  did  not  seem  possible 
that  any  retreat  that  would  shelter  them  could 
escape  the  eyes  of  the  lad. 

"I  haven't  seen  any  such  place  yet,  so,  if  the 
Indian  is  trying  any  such  trick,  he  can't  do  it 


IN  THE   PECOS  COUNTRY.  167 

here  without  my  seeing  him,  and  if  I  do — Heaven 
save  me! " 

He  sprang  to  one  side,  again  pressing  himself 
back  against  the  rock,  as  though  trying  to  flat- 
ten his  body  there  in  order  to  escape  the  tramp- 
ling hoofs.  At  the  same  time  he  cocked  his  rifle, 
with  the  purpose  of  giving  the  finishing  touch  to 
the  Apache  who  had  alarmed  him  once  too  often 
in  this  fashion. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

AN  UNCOMFORTABLE  LODGING. 

A  MORE  astounding  surprise  than  before  awaited 
the  lad.  His  hair  almost  lifted  itself  as  he  found 
himself  staring  at  vacancy,  with  no  sign  of  a  liv- 
ing person  in  sight.  Whatever  had  been  the  cause 
of  this  mysterious  performance,  it  was  very  ap- 
parent that  the  solution  rested  not  with  the 
young  fugitive. 

"I'm  tired  of  this,"  he  exclaimed,  impatiently, 
after  he  had  waited  several  minutes,  "and  it 
isn't  going  to  be  played  on  me  again." 

With  this,  he  began  clambering  up  out  of  the 
ravine,  with  the  resolve  to  reach  some  place 
where  no  shadowy  horseman  could  ride  over 
him. 

The  climbing  was  difficult  at  first,  but  he  soon 
reached  a  point  where  the  inclination  was  not  so 
steep,  and  where  he  could  progress  with  much 
more  ease  and  facility.  In  this  way  he  in  time 
reached  the  upper  level,  and,  believing  himself 
out  of  range  of  his  phantom  pursuer,  had  time 

168 


IN  THE  TECOS  COUNTRY.  169 

to  look  about  for  some  sleeping-place  for  the 
night. 

He  frequently  paused  and  listened,  but  could 
not  see  or  hear  anything  of  man  or  beast,  and, 
confident  that  no  danger  was  to  be  apprehended 
from  either,  he  devoted  himself  to  hunting  for 
some  refuge,  that  he  could  consider  secure  against 
molestation.  His  first  inclination  was  to  seek 
out  a  place  among  the  rocks,  as  he  was  likely  to 
gain  room  where  he  could  stretch  out  at  his  ease 
and  enjoy  a  few  hours'  slumber,  but,  on  reflec- 
tion, there  were  several  objections  to  this. 

In  that  part  of  the  world  were  an  abundance 
of  poisonous  serpents,  and  he  had  a  natural 
dread  of  disturbing  some  of  them. 

"If  I  can  find  the  right  kind  of  tree,  I  think 
that  will  be  the  best  sort  of  a  place,  for  nothing 
could  get  at  me  there,  and  there  may  be  all  the 
limbs  I  want  to  make  a  bed.  I  guess  there's  the 
location  now." 

He  was  walking  along  all  the  time  that  he  had 
been  thinking  and  talking,  and,  at  this  juncture, 
he  approached  a  straggling  group  of  trees,  which 
seemed  likely  to  offer  the  very  refuge  he  was 
seeking.  He  made  his  way  toward  them  with 
quickened  steps. 


170  IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY. 

Fred  found  himself  upon  a  sort  of  plateau, 
broken  here  and  there  by  rocks,  boulders,  and 
irregularities  of  surface,  but  in  the  main  easy  to 
be  traversed,  and  he  lost  no  time  in  making  a 
survey  of  the  grove  which  had  caught  his  eye. 
There  were  some  twenty  in  all,  and  several  of 
them  offered  the  very  shelter.  The  limbs  were  no 
more  than  six  or  eight  feet  above  the  ground, 
and  the  largest  trees  were  fifty  feet  in  height,  the 
branches  appearing  dense,  and  capable,  appar- 
ently, of  affording  as  firm  a  support  as  anyone 
could  need  while  asleep. 

"I  guess  that  will  do,"  he  concluded,  after  sur- 
veying the  largest,  which  happened  to  stand  on 
the  outer  edge  of  the  grove.  "If  I  can  get  the 
bed,  there  ain't  any  danger  of  being  bothered  by 
snakes  and  wild  animals." 

Fred  naturally  pondered  a  moment  as  to  the 
best  means  of  climbing  into  the  tree  with  his  gun. 
It  was  full  size,  and  of  such  weight  that  he  had 
been  considerably  wearied  in  carrying  it  such  a 
distance,  but  it  contained  a  precious  charge,  to 
be  used  in  some  emergency  tjiat  was  likely  to 
arise,  and  no  man  was  wealthy  enough  to  buy 
it  from  him.  The  -way  that  he  decided  upon  was 
to  leave  the  gun  against  the  trunk  of  the  tree, 


IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY.  171 

and  then  climb  in  the  way  that  comes  natural 
to  a  boy.  The  barrel  of  course,  would  bother 
him  a  little,  but  he  could  pull  through  very  well, 
and  he  immediately  set  about  doing  so. 

As  he  expected,  the  gun  got  in  his  way,  but  he 
managed  it  very  well,  without  knocking  it 
down,  and  in  a  few  minutes  had  climbed  high 
enough  to  grasp  the  first  limb  with  one  hand, 
which  was  all  that  he  desired,  as  he  could  easily 
draw  himself  up  in  that  fashion. 

Fred  had  just  made  his  grasp  certain,  when  he 
heard  a  peculiar  yelp,  and  a  rush  of  something 
by  him. 

Not  knowing  what  it  meant,  but  apprehend- 
ing some  new  danger,  he  drew  himself  upon  the 
limb  with  a  spasmodic  effort,  and  then  turned 
to  see  what  it  meant.  To  his  amazement  and 
terror,  he  discovered  that  it  was  an  inwe^se 
wolf,  which  had  made  a  snap  at  and  narrowly 
missed  his  heels.  It  had  come  like  a  shadow, 
making  no  announcement  of  its  presence,  and  a 
second  or  two  sooner  would  have  brought  the 
two  into  collision. 

As  Fred  looked  downward  the  wolf  looked 
upward,  and  the  two  glared  at  each  other  for  a 
minute  or  so,  as  if  they  meant  to  stare  each 


172  IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY. 

other  out  of  countenance.  The  wolf  was  unu- 
sually large,  belonging  to  what  is  known  as  the 
mountain  species,  and  he  seemed  capable  of 
leaping  up  among  the  limbs  without  any  extra 
effort;  but  wolves  are  not  addicted  to  climbing 
trees,  and  the  one  in  question  seemed  to  content 
himself  with  looking  up  and  meditating  upon 
the  situation.  It  seemed  to  the  lad  that  he  was 

saying : 

"Well,  young  man,  you're  up  there  out  of 
my  reach,  but  I  can  ailord  to  wait;  you'll  have 
to  come  down  pretty  soon." 

"If  I  only  had  some  powder  and  ball,"  re- 
flected Fred,  "I'd  soon  wipe  you  out." 

The  temptation  was  very  strong  to  spend  the 
last  bullet  upon  him,  but  he  could  not  fail  to  see 
the  absurdity  of  the  thing;  besides  which,  his 
gun  was  seated  upon  the  ground,  with  the  muz- 
zle pointed  upward  at  him.  He  could  reach  it 
from  his  perch  on  the  lowermost  limb,  but  it 
was  hardly  safe  to  attempt  it  while  his  enemy 
was  seated  there  upon  his  haunches,  as  if  debat- 
ing whether  he  should  go  up  or  not. 

The  boy  was  in  terror  lest  the  brute  should 
strike  the  piece  and  knock  it  down,  in  which 
case  it  was  likely  to  be  discharged  and  to  be 


IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY.  173 

placed  altogether  beyond  his  reach.  But  the 
dreaded  creature  sat  as  motionless  as  if  he  were 
a  carved  statue  in  front  of  some  gentleman's 
residence,  his  eyes  fixed  upon  his  supper,  which 
had  escaped  him  by  such  a  narrow  chance.  The 
situation  was  about  as  interesting  as  it  could 
well  be,  and,  in  fact,  it  was  rather  too  interest- 
ing for  Fred,  who  was  alarmed  at  the  prospect 
of  being  besieged  by  a  mountain  wolf. 

After  the  lapse  of  a  minute  or  two,  the  brute 
quietly  rose  from  his  haunches,  trotted  a  few 
paces,  and  then  gave  utterance  to  the  dismal 
wail  peculiar  to  his  species.  It  had  a  baying, 
howling  tone,  which  made  the  chills  creep  over 
the  boy  from  head  to  foot.  He  had  heard  the 
barking  and  howling  of  wolves  when  crossing 
the  prairies,  but  there  was  deep,  thunderous 
bass  to  the  one  which  now  struck  upon  his  ear 
such  as  he  had  never  before  heard,  and  which 
gave  it  a  significance  that  was  like  a  voice  from 
the  tomb. 

The  instant  the  brute  left  his  station,  Fred 
reached  down,  seized  the  muzzle  of  his  gun,  and 
drew  it  up.  Then  he  made  his  way  some  twenty 
feet  above,  where  he  could  feel  secure  against 
any  daring  leap  from  his  foe.  He  had  scarcely 


174  IN  THE   PECOS   COUNTRY. 

perched  himself  in  this  position,  when  the  bay  of 
the  wolf  was  answered  from  fully  a  dozen  differ- 
ent directions. 

He  had  called  to  his  comrades,  and  their  re- 
plies came  from  every  point  of  the  compass — 
the  same  rumbling,  hoarse,  wailing  howls  that 
had  notified  them  where  a  prize  awaited  them. 
A  minute  later,  the  brute  trotted  back  to  his 
place,  where  he  sat  down  until  the  arrival  of 
reinforcements. 

"It  isn't  one  wolf,  but  a  hundred,  that  is 
going  to  besiege  me!"  gasped  the  terrified  boy. 

He  spoke  the  truth. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

A  TERRIBLE  NIGHT. 

THE  prospect  of  being  besieged  all  night  in  a 
tree  by  a  pack  of  mountain  wolves  was  not  a 
pleasant  one  by  any  means,  and  Fred,  who  had 
climbed  up  among  the  branches  with  the  object 
of  securing  a  few  hours'  slumber,  found  little 
chance  of  closing  his  eyes  for  even  a  minute. 

"It  might  have  been  worse,"  he  reflected,  as  he 
listened  to  the  dismal  howling,  "for  if  they  had 
happened  to  come  down  upon  me  when  I  was 
walking  along  the  ravine,  I  couldn't  have  gotten 
into  any  place  like  this  in  time  to  save  me. 
Wolves  don't  know  how  to  climb  trees,  and  so 
long  as  I  stay  here  I'm  all  right;  but  I  can't 
stay  here  forever." 

By-and-by  there  was  a  sharp  pattering  upon 
the  ground,  and  then  the  hoarse  howling  changed 
to  quick,  dog-like  yelps,  such  as  these  animals 
emit  when  leaping  down  upon  their  prey,  and 
which  may  be  supposed  to  mean  exultation. 

175 


176  IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY. 

Fred  came  down  sufficiently  far  from  his  perch 
to  get  a  glimpse  of  the  ground  beneath.  He  saw 
nearly  a  score  of  huge  mountain  wolves,  bound- 
ing hither  and  thither,  and  over  each  other,  and 
back  and  forth,  as  though  going  through  some 
preliminary  exercise,  so  as  to  prepare  themselves 
for  the  feast  that  was  soon  to  be  theirs. 

"If  I  was  down  there,"  thought  the  boy,  with 
a  shudder,  "I  suppose  I'd  last  them  about  two 
minutes,  and  then  they'd  be  hungrier  than  ever. 
They'll  stay  there  all  night,  but  I  wonder  if 
they'll  go  away  in  the  morning.  If  they  do  n't,  I 
can't  tell  what's  to  become  of  me." 

He  watched  them  awhile  with  a  lingering  fear 
that  some  of  them  might  manage  to  get  among 
the  branches,  but  they  did  not  make  the  at- 
tempt. They  had  sufficient  dexterity  to  leap 
from  the  ground  up  among  the  lowermost  limbs, 
but  had  no  power  of  retaining  their  position,  or 
doing  anything  after  they  got  there. 

Nature  had  unfitted  them  for  such  work,  and 
they  did  not  try  it.  They  seemed  to  possess 
tireless  activity,  and  they  kept  up  their  leaping 
and  frolicing  as  though  they  had  nothing  else 
in  the  world  to  do. 

After  watching  them  until  he  was  tired,  Fred 


IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY.  177 

carefully  climbed  up  among  the  branches  again, 
where  he  secured  himself  as  firmly  as  was  possi- 
ble. He  had  lain  his  rifle  across  a  couple  of 
limbs  above  his  head,  and  fixed  upon  a  place 
within  a  dozen  feet  or  so  of  the  top,  as  the  one 
offering  the  best  support. 

Here  two  or  three  limbs  were  gnarled  and 
twisted  in  such  a  way  that  he  could  seat  himself 
and  arrange  his  body  in  such  a  way  that  he 
could  have  enjoyed  a  night's  slumber  with  as 
much  refreshment  as  if  stretched  out  upon  a 
blanket  on  the  ground.  But  the  serenade  below 
was  not  calculated  to  soothe  his  nerves  into 
soft,  downy  sleep,  and  he  shuddered  at  the 
thought  of  sitting  where  he  was  for  four  or  five 
hours,  with  the  pattering  feet  below  him,  varied 
by  a  yelp  or  howl,  when  he  should  feel  disposed 
to  close  his  eyes. 

"But,  then,  it  can't  be  helped,"  he  added  to 
himself,  endeavoring  to  look  philosophically  at 
the  matter.  "I  ought  to  be  thankful  that  they 
did  n't  catch  me  before  I  reached  the  tree,  and  so 
I  am;  and  I  would  be  very  thankful,  too,  if 
they  would  go  away  and  leave  me  alone.  I've 
got  a  bed  here  twice  as  good  as  I  expected  to 
find,  and  could  sleep  as  well  as  anywhere  else." 

12 


178  IN  THE  PECOS  COUiNTRY. 

Almost  any  sound  long  continued  becomes 
monotonous,  and  thus  it  was  that  scarcely  a 
half-hour  had  passed  when,  in  spite  of  the  dread- 
ful beasts  below,  his  eyes  began  to  grow  heavy 
and  his  head  to  droop. 

But  at  this  juncture  he  received  a  terrible 
shock.  Just  as  everything  was  becoming  dreamy 
and  unreal,  he  was  startled  by  a  jarring  of  the 
tree,  as  though  struck  with  some  heavy  object. 
When  it  was  repeated  several  times,  his  senses 
returned  to  him,  and  he  raised  his  head  and 
listened . 

"I  \vonder  what  that  can  be?"  he  said  to 
himself.  "Is  some  one  hitting  the  tree?  No,  it 
isn't  that." 

It  seemed  not  so  much  a  jarring  of  the  trunk 
as  a  swaying  of  the  whole  tree. 

Puzzled  and  alarmed,  Fred  drew  his  legs  from 
their  rather  cramped  position,  and  picked  his  way 
downward  among  the  limbs  until  he  had  de- 
scended far  enough  to  inform  himself. 

"Heaven  save  me!  they're  in  the  tree!"  he 
gasped,  paralyzed  for  the  moment  with  terror. 

In  one  sense,  such  was  the  case.  The  frolic- 
some wolves  had  varied  their  amusement  bj 
springing  upward  among  the  lowermost  branches. 


IN  THE   PECOS  COUNTRY.  179 

A  brute  would  make  a  jump,  and,  landing 
upon  the  limb,  sustain  himself  until  one  or  two 
of  his  comrades  imitated  his  performance,  when 
they  would  all  come  tumbling  to  the  ground. 

Thus,  it  may  be  said,  they  were  climbing  the 
tree,  but  they  were  scarcely  in  it  when  they 
were  out  of  it  again,  and  Fred  had  nothing  to 
fear  from  that  source. 

In  his  fright,  he  hastily  clambered  back  again 
after  his  rifle,  with  the  intention  of  shooting  the 
one  that  was  nearest,  but  by  the  time  he  laid 
his  hand  upon  the  weapon  his  terror  had  lessened 
so  much  that  he  concluded  to  wait  until  assured 
that  it  was  necessary.  And  a  few  minutes'  wait- 
ing convinced  him  that  he  had  nothing  to  fear 
from  that  source.  It  was  only  another  phase  of 
the  hilarious  fun  they  were  keeping  up  for  their 
own  amusement. 

"I  guess  I'll  try  it  again,"  concluded  Fred,  as 
he  proceeded  to  stow  his  arms  and  legs  into  po- 
sition for  the  nap  which  he  came  so  near  com- 
mencing a  few  minutes  before. 

He  did  not  consider  it  within  the  range  of  pos- 
sibility that  he  could  unconsciously  displace  his 
limbs  during  sleep  sufficiently  to  permit  him  to 
fall 


180  IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY. 

He  heard  the  yelping  and  occasional  baying  be- 
low, the  rustling  among  the  limbs,  and  the  undu- 
lation caused  by  the  animals  leaping  upward 
among  the  branches;  but  they  ceased  to  disturb 
him  after  a  time,  and  became  like  the  sound  of 
falling  water  in  the  ears  of  the  hunter  by  his 
camp-fire.  It  was  not  long  before  slumber  stole 
away  his  senses,  and  he  slept. 

A  healthful  boy  generally  sleeps  well,  and  is 
untroubled  by  dreams,  unless  he  has  been  indulg- 
ing in  some  indiscretion  in  the  way  of  diet,  but 
the  stirring,  scenes  of  the  last  few  days  were  so 
impressed  upon  the  mind  of  Fred  that  they  reap- 
peared in  his  visions  of  night,  as  he  lived  them 
all  over  again.  He  was  again  standing  in  the 
silent  wood  along  the  Rio  Pecos,  with  Mickey 
O'Rooney,  watching  for  the  stealthy  approach  of 
the  Apaches.  As  time  passed,  he  saw  the  excited 
figure  of  Sut  Simpson  the  scout,  as  he  came  thun- 
dering over  the  prairie,  with  his  warning  cry  of 
the  approach  of  the  red-skins.  The  rattling  fight 
in  front  of  the  young  settlement,  the  repulse  of 
the  Apaches,  the  swoop  of  Lone  Wolf  and  the 
lad's  capture,  the  night  ride,  the  encampment 
among  the  mountains,  his  own  singular  escape, 
and,  finally,  his  siege  by  the  mountain  wolves — 


IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY.  181 

all  these  passed  through  the  mind  of  the  sleeping 
lad,  and  finally  settled  down  to  a  hand-to-hand 
fight  with  the  leader  of  the  brutes. 

Fred  fancied  that  the  two  had  met  in  the  ra- 
vine, and,  clubbing  his  gun,  he  whacked  the  beast 
over  his  head  every  time  he  leaped  at  him.  He 
struck  him  royal,  resounding  blows,  too,  but, 
somehow  or  other,  they  failed  to  produce  any 
effect.  The  wolf  kept  coming  and  coming  again, 
until,  at  last,  the  boy  concluded  he  would  wind 
up  the  bout  by  jumping  upon,  and  throwing  him 
down,  and  then  deliberately  choking  him  to 
death. 

He  made  the  jump,  and  awakening  instantly, 
found  he  had  leaped  "out  of  bed,"  and  was  fall- 
ing downward  through  the  limbs.  It  all  flashed 
upon  the  lad  with  the  suddenness  of  lightning. 

He  remembered  the  ravenous  wolves,  and,  with 
a  shuddering  horror  which  cannot  be  pictured  or 
imagined,  felt  that  he  was  dropping  directly  into 
thc:r  fangs.  It  was  the  instinct  of  nature  which 
caused  him  to  throw  out  his  feet  and  hands  in 
the  hope  of  checking  his  fall. 

By  a  hair's  breadth  he  succeeded.  But  it  was 
nearly  the  lowermost  limb  which  he  grasped  with 
his  desperate  clutch,  and  hung  with  his  arms 


182  IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY. 

dangling    within    reach    of   the    wolves    below. 

The  famished  brutes  seemed  to  be  expecting 
this  choice  tid-bit  to  drop  into  their  maws,  and 
their  yelps  and  howls  became  wilder  than  ever, 
and  they  nearly  broke  each  other's  necks  in  their 
furious  frolicing  back  and  forth. 

The  moment  young  Munson  succeeded  in  check- 
ing himself,  he  made  a  quick  effort  to  draw  up 
his  feet  and  regain  his  place  beyond  the  reach  of 
the  brutes.  It  was  done  in  a  twinkling,  but  not 
soon  enough  to  escape  one  of  the  creatures,  which 
made  a  leap  and  fastened  upon  his  foot. 

The  lad  was  just  twisting  himself  over  the  limb, 
when  he  felt  one  of  his  shoes  seized  in  the  jaws 
of  a  \volf.  The  sudden  addition  to  his  weight 
drew  him  down  again,  and  almost  jerked  his 
hold  from  the  limb,  in  which  event  he  would  have 
been  snapped  up  and  disposed  of  before  he  could 
have  made  a  struggle  in  the  way  of  resistance. 
But  he  held  on,  and  with  an  unnatural  spasm  of 
strength,  drew  himself  and  the  clogging  weight 
part  way  up,  kicking  both  feet  with  the  fury  of 
despair. 

The  wolf  held  fast  to  one  shoe,  while  the  heel 
of  the  other  was  jammed  into  his  eyes.  This, 
however,  would  not  have  dislodged  him,  had  not 


IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY.  183 

his  own  comrades  interfered,  and  defeated  the 
brute  by  their  own  eager  greediness.  Seeing  that 
the  first  one  had  fastened  to  the  prize,  a  half- 
dozen  of  them  began  leaping  upward  with  the 
purpose  of  securing  a  share  in  the  same.  In  this 
way  they  got  into  each  other's  way,  and  all 
came  tumbling  to  the  ground  in  a  heap. 

Before  they  could   repeat  the   performance  the 
terrified  lad  was  a  dozen  feet  beyond  their  reach,  x 
and  climbing  still  higher. 

When  Fred  reached  his  former  perch,  he  was  in 
doubt  whether  he  should  halt  or  go  still  higher. 
His  heart  was  throbbing  violently,  and  he  was 
white  and  panting  from  the  frightful  shock  he 
had  received. 

"That  was  awful!"  he  gasped,  as  he  reflected 
upon  what  had  taken  place.  "I  don't  know 
what  saved  me  from  death!  Yes,  I  do;  it  was 
God ! "  he  added,  looking  up  through  the  leaves 
to  the  clear,  moonlit  sky  above  him.  "He  has 
brought  me  through  a  good  many  dangers,  and 
He  will  not  forsake  me." 

After  such  an  experience,  it  was  impossible  that 
sleep  should  return  to  the  eyes  of  the  lad.  He 
resumed  his  old  perch,  but  only  because  it  was 
the  most  comfortable.  Had  he  believed  that  there 


184  IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY. 

was  a  possibility  of  slumber,  he  would  have 
fought  it  off,  but  there  was  not. 

"I'll  wait  here  till  morning,"  he  said  to  him- 
self. "It  must  be  close  at  hand ;  and  then,  maybe, 
they  will  go  away." 

He  looked  longingly  for  some  sign  of  the  break- 
ing of  day,  but  the  moonlight,  for  a  long  time, 
was  unrelieved  by  the  rose-flush  of  the  morning. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

LOST. 

FOLLOWING  the  escape  of  their  human  victim, 
the  -wolves  had  maintained  a  frightful  and  most 
discordant  howling,  as  if  angered  beyond  expres- 
sion at  the  style  in  which  they  had  been  baffled 
of  their  prey. 

The  lad  sat  listening  to  this,  when  suddenly  it 
ceased.  Silence  from  each  beast  came  as  com- 
pletely and  simultaneously  as  if  they  -were  mem- 
bers of  an  orchestra  subject  to  the  wand  of  such 
an  enchanter  as  Theodore  Thomas.  What  could 
it  be? 

For  the  space  of  two  or  three  minutes  the  si- 
lence remained  as  profound  as  that  of  the  tomb, 
and  then  there  came  a  rush  and  patter,  made  by 
the  wolves  as  they  fled  pell-mell. 

At  first  sight  this  seemed  a  reason  for  congrat- 
ulation in  getting  rid  of  such  unwelcome  com- 
pany; but  Fred  saw  in  it  more  cause  for  alarm. 
Very  evidently  the  creatures  would  not  have  left 
the  spot  in  such  a  hurry  unless  they  were  fright- 

185 


186  IX  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY. 

ened  away  by  some  wild  animal  more  to  be 
dreaded  than  themselves. 

"I'm  afraid  I'll  have  to  use  my  rifle,"  he 
thought,  as  he  moved  softly  downward  until  he 
reached  a  point  from  which  he  could  see  anything 
that  passed  beneath.  "It's  pretty  rough  to  have 
to  fire  a  fellow's  last  shot,  when  he's  likely  to 
starve  to  death  for  it ;  but  a  beast  that  can  scare 
away  a  pack  of  wolves  is  likely  to  be  one  that 
it  will  take  a  well-aimed  bullet  to  stop " 

This  train  of  thought  was  abruptly  checked  by 
a  sight  which  almost  paralyzed  him.  He  could 
dimly  discern  the  ground  beneath,  and  he  was 
•watching  and  listening  when  a  large  figure  came 
to  view,  and  halted  directly  beneath  him,  where 
the  first  wolf  had  sat  upon  his  haunches  and 
looked  so  longingly  upward. 

No  noise  could  be  heard  and  it  seemed  to  move 
like  a  phantom;  but,  even  in  the  gloom,  the  pe- 
culiar swinging  motion  of  the  body  showed  pro- 
digious strength  and  activity.  There  could  be  no 
doubt,  either,  that  the  animal  was  a  climber,  and 
therefore  more  to  be  feared  than  a  thousand 
wolves. 

Fred  had  gained  quite  a  knowledge  of  the  ani- 
mals of  the  country  on  his  way  across  the  plains, 


IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY.  187 

and  in  the  indistinct  view  obtained  he  made  up 
his  mind  that  this  was  that  most  dangerous  of 
wild  beasts  in  the  Southwest,  the  American  cou- 
gar. If  such  were  the  case,  the  lad's  only  defense 
lay  in  the  single  charge  of  his  rifle.  The  cougar 
could  leap  among  the  limbs  as  easily  as  a  cat 
bounds  from  the  floor  into  the  chair. 

Fred  had  left  his  rifle  beyond  his  reach,  and  he 
was  about  to  climb  up  to  it,  when  the  possibil- 
ity occurred  to  him  that,  perhaps,  the  cougar 
was  not  aware  that  any  one  was  in  the  tree,  and, 
if  unmolested  might  pass  by.  Accordingly,  the 
fugitive  remained  as  motionless  as  a  statue,  his 
eyes  fixed  upon  the  dreaded  brute,  ready  to  make 
for  his  gun  the  instant  the  cougar  showed  any 
sign  of  making  for  him. 

The  animal,  known  in  some  parts  of  the  coun- 
try as  the  panther,  or  "painter,"  remained 
equally  motionless.  It  looked  precisely  as  if  he 
suspected  that  something  was  in  the  wind 
and  had  slipped  up  to  this  point  to  listen  for 
some  evidence  of  what  it  was.  Fred,  who  had 
heard  fabulous  stories  of  the  "smelling"  powers 
of  all  wild  animals,  feared  that  the  cougar  would 
scent  him  out,  but  he  showed  no  evidence  of  his 
ability  to  do  so. 


188  IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY. 

After  remaining  stationary  a  minute  or  two, 
he  moved  forward  a  couple  of  steps,  and  then 
paused  as  before.  The  lad  was  fearful  that  this 
was  an  indication  that  he  had  detected  his  pres- 
ence in  the  tree  and  was  about  to  make  his  leap; 
but,  preliminary  to  doing  so,  all  such  animals 
squat  upon  their  haunches,  and  pick  out  a  perch 
at  which  to  aim.  This  he  had  not  done,  and  the 
boy  waited  for  it  before  changing  his  own  posi- 
tion. 

The  head  of  the  cougar  was  close  to  the  trunk 
of  the  tree,  and  he  had  maintained  the  attitude 
but  a  few  seconds  when  he  started  forward 
again  and  continued  until  he  vanished  from  view. 

"I  hope  he  is  gone,"  was  the  wish  that  came 
to  Fred,  as  he  peered  through  the  leaves,  in  his 
effort  to  catch  a  glimpse  of  him. 

But  the  intervening  leaves  prevented,  and  he 
saw  him  no  more. 

He  remained  where  he  was  for  some  time,  on 
the  look-out  for  the  beast,  but  finally  climbed 
back  to  his  former  place,  where  his  gun  was 
within  reach,  and  where  he  disposed  of  himself 
as  comfortably  as  possible. 

In  less  than  ten  minutes  thereafter,  the  whole 
pack  of  wolves  were  back  again.  The  cougar  had 


IN  THF   PECOS   COUNTRY.  189 

departed,  and  they  returned  to  claim  their  break- 
fast. They  \vere  somewhat  less  demonstrative 
in  their  manner,  as  though  they  did  not  wish  to 
bring  the  panther  back  again. 

They  were  scarcely  upon  the  ground,  however, 
when  Fred  noticed  that  it  was  growing  light  in 
the  east.  The  long,  terrible  night,  the  most 
dreadful  of  his  life,  was  about  over,  and  he  wel- 
comed the  coming  day  as  the  shipwrecked  mari- 
ner does  the  approach  of  the  friendly  sail. 

The  light  rapidly  increased,  and  in  a  short 
time  the  sun  itself  appeared,  driving  the  dark- 
ness from  the  mountain  and  bathing  all  in  its 
rosy  hues. 

The  wolves  seemed  to  dread  its  coming  some- 
what as  they  did  that  of  the  cougar.  By  the 
time  the  morning  was  fairly  upon  them,  one  of 
them  slunk  away.  Another  speedily  followed, 
and  it  soon  became  a  stampede. 

Fred  waited  awhile,  and  then  peered  out.  Not 
a  wolf  was  to  be  seen,  and  he  concluded  it  was 
safe  to  descend. 

He  made  several  careful  surveys  of  his  sur- 
roundings before  trusting  his  feet  on  solid  ground 
again.  When  he  found  himself  there  he  grasped 
his  rifle  firmly,  half  expecting  the  formidable 


190  IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY. 

cougar  to  pounce  upon  him  from  some  hiding- 
place;  but  everything  remained  quiet,  and  he 
finally  ventured  to  move  off  toward  the  east- 
ward, feeling  quite  nervous  until  he  had  gone  a 
couple  of  hundred  yards,  and  was  given  some 
assurance  that  no  wild  beasts  held  him  in  sight. 
Now  that  the  lad  had  some  opportunity  to 
gather  his  wits,  he  paused  to  consider  what  was 
best  to  do,  for  with  the  coming  of  daylight  came 
the  necessity  for  serious  work.  His  disposition 
was  to  return  to  the  ravine,  which  he  had  left 
for  the  purpose  of  seeking  a  sleeping-place,  and 
to  press  homeward  as  rapidly  as  possible.  There 
was  no  time  to  be  lost,  for  many  a  long  and 
wearisome  mile  lay  between  him  and  New 
Boston. 

As  was  natural,  Fred  was  hungry  again, 
but  he  resolved  to  make  no  attempt  to  secure 
food  until  night-fall,  and  to  spend  the  interven- 
ing time  in  traveling.  Of  course,  if  a  camp-fire 
should  come  in  his  way,  where  he  was  likely  to 
find  any  remnants  of  food,  he  did  not  intend  to 
pass  it  by ;  but  his  wish  was  to  improve  the  day 
while  it  lasted.  By  taking  to  the  ravine  again, 
he  entered  upon  the  Apache  highway,  where  he 
was  likely,  at  any  moment,  and  especially  at  the 


IN   THE   PECOS   COUNTRY.  191 

sharp  turns,  to  come  in  collision  with  the  red 
men,  but  the  advantage  was  too  great  to  over- 
look, and  he  hoped  by  the  exercise  of  unusual 
care  to  keep  out  of  all  such  peril. 

He  was  on  the  margin  of  the  plateau,  and 
before  returning  to  the  gorge  he  thought  it  best 
to  venture  upon  a  little  exploration  of  his  own. 
Possibly  he  might  stumble  upon  some  narrower 
pass,  one  unfit  for  horses,  which  would  afford 
him  a  chance  of  getting  out  of  the  mountains 
without  the  great  risk  of  meeting  his  old  enemies. 

For  a  short  distance,  the  way  was  so  broken 
that  his  progress  was  slow.  He  found  himself 
clambering  up  a  ledge  of  rocks,  then  he  was 
forced  to  make  his  way  around  some  massive 
boulders,  and  in  picking  his  way  along  a  steep 
place,  the  gravelly  earth  gave  way  beneath  his 
weight,  and  he  slid  fully  a  hundred  feet  before  he 
could  check  himself.  His  descent  was  so  gradual 
that  he  was  not  bruised  in  the  slightest,  but  he 
was  nearly  buried  beneath  the  gravel  and  dirt 
that  came  rattling  down  after  him. 

"I  wish  I  could  travel  all  the  way  home  that 
way,"  he  laughed,  as  he  picked  himself  up.  "I 
would  soon  get  there,  and  wouldn't  have  to 
work  very  hard,  either." 


192  IX   THE  PECOS  COUNTRY. 

But  this  was  not  very  profitable  work,  and 
when  he  had  quaffed  his  fill  from  a  small  rivulet 
of  icy-cold  water,  he  was  conscious  of  the  im- 
portance of  going  forward  without  any  further 
delay. 

"I  guess  the  best  thing  I  can  do  is  to  get 
back  in  that  ravine  or  pass  without  any  more 
foolery.  It  looks  as  though  the  way  was  open 
ahead  yonder." 

It  was  useless  to  attempt  to  retrace  his  steps, 
for  it  was  impossible  to  climb  up  that  incline, 
which  came  so  near  burying  him  out  of  sight,  so 
he  moved  forward,  with  rocks  all  around  him  — 
right,  left,  in  the  rear,  and  in  the  front.  There 
was  considerable  stunted  vegetation,  also,  and, 
as  the  day  was  quite  warm,  and  no  wind  could 
reach  him,  he  found  the  labor  of  traveling  with 
a  heavy  rifle  anything  but  fun.  Still,  he  had  no 
thought  of  giving  up,  or  even  halting  to  rest,  so 
long  as  his  strength  held  out,  and  he  kept  it  up 
until  he  concluded  that  it  was  about  time  that 
he  reached  the  ravine  for  \vhich  he  aimed  from 
the  first. 

"It  must  be  right  ahead,  yonder,"  he  said, 
after  pausing  to  survey  his  surroundings.  "I've 


x1l.vc 


FOR    A    Mu-Mh.Vr    hklill    WAS    TRANSFIXED.       Page  ^ 


IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY.  193 

kept  going  toward  it  ever  since  I  picked  myself 
up,  and  I  know  I  wasn't  very  far  away." 

He  had  been  steadily  ascending  for  a  half  hour, 
and  he  believed  that  he  had  nearly  reached  the 
level  upon  which  he  had  spent  the  night.  His 
view  was  so  shut  in  by  the  character  of  his 
surroundings,  that  he  could  recognize  nothing, 
and  he  was  compelled,  therefore,  to  depend  upon 
his  own  sagacity. 

Fred  had  enough  wit  to  take  every  precaution 
against  going  astray,  for  he  had  learned  long 
since  how  liable  any  one  in  his  circumstances 
was  to  make  such  a  blunder.  He  fixed  the  posi- 
tion of  the  sun  with  regard  to  the  ravine,  and  as 
the  orb  was  only  a  short  distance  above  the 
horizon,  he  was  confident  of  keeping  his  "reck- 
oning." 

"That's  mighty  strange!"  he  exclaimed,  when, 
having  climbed  up  the  place  he  had  fixed  in  his 
mind,  he  looked  over  and  found  nothing  but  a 
broken  country  beyond.  "There  isn't  anything 
there  that  looks  like  the  pass  I'm  looking  for." 

He  took  note  of  the  position  of  the  sun,  and 
then  carefully  recalled  the  direction  of  the  ravine 
with  regard  to  that,  and  he  could  discover  no 
error  in  the  course  which  he  had  followed.  Ac- 

13 


194  IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY. 

cording  to  the  reasoning  of  common  sense,  he 
ought  to  strike  it  at  right  angles.  But  just  then 
he  recalled  that  the  gorge  did  not  follow  a 
straight  line.  Had  it  done  so,  he  would  have 
succeeded  in  what  he  had  undertaken,  but  it  was 
otherwise,  and  so  he  failed. 

"I'll  try  a  little  more." 

With  no  little  labor,  he  climbed  to  an  eminence 
a  short  distance  away,  where  he  hoped  to  gain 
a  glimpse  of  the  promised  land;  but  the  most 
studied  scrutiny  failed  to  show  anything  resem- 
bling the  pass. 

"I'm  lost!"  he  exclaimed,  in  despair. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

A  PERILOUS  PASSAGE. 

FRED  MUNSON  was  right.  In  his  efforts  to  re- 
gain the  pass  by  which  he  had  entered  the 
mountains,  he  had  gone  astray,  and  he  knew  no 
more  in  what  direction  to  turn  than  if  he  had 
dropped  from  the  moon.  The  sun  was  now  well 
up  above  the  horizon,  and  he  not  only  had  the 
mortification  of  feeling  that  he  had  lost  much 
precious  time,  but  that  he  was  likely  to  lose 
much  more. 

With  the  feeling  of  disappointment  came  that 
of  hunger,  and  he  questioned  himself  as  to  how 
he  was  likely  to  obtain  that  with  which  to  stave 
off  the  pangs  of  hunger. 

"There  isn't  any  use  of  staying  here,"  he  ex- 
claimed, desperately,  "unless  I  want  to  lie  down 
and  die,  and  I  ain't  quite  ready  for  that  yet.  It 
is  pretty  sure  the  ravine  ain't  straight  ahead,  so 
it  must  be  more  to  one  side." 

And,  acting  upon  this  conclusion,  he  made 
quite  a  change  in  the  direction  he  was  pursuing, 

190 


196  IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY. 

moving  off  to  the  left,  and  encouraging  himself 
with  the  fact  that  the  pass  must  be  somewhere, 
and  he  had  only  to  persevere  in  exploring  each 
point  of  the  compass  to  reach  it  at  last.  His 
route  continued  as  precipitous  and  difficult  as 
before,  and  it  was  not  long  before  the  plague  of 
thirst  became  greater  than  that  of  hunger.  But 
he  persevered,  hopeful  that  his  wearisome  wan- 
dering would  soon  end. 

"Halloa!    Here  I  am  again." 

This  exclamation  was  caused  by  the  sudden 
arrival  upon  the  edge  of  a  ravine,  which,  on 
first  thought,  he  supposed  to  be  the  very  one 
for  which  he  was  making.  But  a  second  glance 
convinced  him  of  his  error,  for  it  was  nothing 
more  than  a  yawn,  or  chasm,  that  had  prob- 
ably been  opened  in  the  mountains  by  some 
great  convulsion  of  nature. 

Making  his  way  carefully  to  the  edge,  Fred 
saw  that  it  had  a  varying  depth  of  fifty  to  two 
hundred  feet,  and  a  width  from  a  dozen  yards 
to  three  times  as  much,  its  length  seemingly  too 
great  to  be  "gone  round"  by  an  ordinary  trav- 
eler. And  yet,  finding  himself  confronted  by  such 
a  chasm,  it  was  perhaps  natural  that  the  lad 
should  become  more  fully  pursuaded  than  ever 


IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY.  197 

of  the  absolute  necessity  of  placing  himself  upon 
the  opposite  side.  The  more  he  thought  upon  it 
the  more  convinced  did  he  become,  until  his 
disire  of  passing  over  became  a  wild  sort  of 
eagerness  that  would  not  let  him  rest. 

"I  don't  believe  the  pass  is  more  than  a  hun- 
dred yards  from  the  other  side,  and  the  two 
must  run  nearly  parallel,  so  I  am  bound  to  get 
over  in  some  way." 

In  the  hope  that  some  narrow  portion  might 
be  found,  he  made  his  way  with  great  care 
along  the  margin,  until  fully  an  hour  had  been 
spent  in  this  manner,  with  a  result  that  could 
not  be  called  very  satisfactory. 

"If  I  could  jump  about  three  times  as  far  as  I 
can,  I  could  go  across  right  yonder — helloa! 
why  didn't  I  notice  that  before?" 

And  the  words  were  yet  in  his  mouth,  when  he 
started  on  a  run  along  the  margin  of  the  ravine, 
at  the  imminent  risk  of  falling  in  and  breaking 
his  neck.  He  had  espied  not  only  a  narrower 
portion  of  the  ravine,  but  what  seemed  to  be  a 
fallen  tree  extending  from  one  side  to  the  other. 

If  such  were  really  the  case,  what  more  could 
he  need?  He  had  thought  over  this  matter  of 
the  pass  being  upon  the  other  side,  until  no 


198  IN  THE   PECOS  COUNTRY. 

doubt  at  all  remained  in  his  mind,  and  now  the 
discovery  that  the  chasm  was  bridged  caused 
the  strongest  rebound  from  discouragement  to 
hope. 

Upon  reaching  the  bridge,  he  found  that  it 
answered  his  purpose  admirably.  The  width 
was  less  than  ten  yards,  although  the  depth 
was  enough  to  make  him  shudder,  when  he 
peered  down  into  it. 

He  flung  a  stone,  and,  as  it  went  spinning 
downward,  it  seemed  to  him  that  many  seconds 
elapsed  before  it  struck  the  bottom  with  a  dull 
thud. 

But  the  tree  seemed  strong  enough  to  answer 
every  purpose,  and  capable  of  bearing  a  weight 
much  greater  than  his. 

The  trunk  at  the  largest  part  was  fully  a  foot 
in  diameter,  and  the  top  extended  far  enough 
over  the  opposite  edge  to  prevent  any  weakness 
from  the  thinning  out  of  the  branches. 

But  what  astonished  Fred  more  than  anything 
else,  was  the  discovery  that  the  tree  had  been 
felled  not  by  nature,  but  by  man.  The  trunk  had 
been  cut  through,  clearly  and  evenly,  by  some 
sharp  instrument,  and  beyond  question  had  been 
used  as  a  bridge  before. 


IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY.  199 

"Somebody  has  been  here  ahead  of  me,"  re- 
flected the  lad,  as  he  examined  this  interesting 
evidence,  "and  I  don't  believe  it  was  an  Indian, 
either.  I  don't  know  what  could  bring  a  party 
into  this  part  of  the  world,  but  they  have  been 
here  surely,  and  if  the  bridge  was  good  enough 
for  them,  it  will  do  for  me." 

He  was  quite  certain  that  he  could  walk  over, 
after  the  fashion  of  Blondin,  but  it  would  have 
been  foolhardy  in  the  highest  degree,  and  he 
adopted  the  wiser  course  of  putting  himself 
astride  of  the  trunk,  and  hitching  along  a  few 
inches  at  a  time.  His  rifle  interfered  somewhat, 
but  he  kept  up  his  progress,  pausing  a  few  sec- 
onds at  the  centre  of  the  chasm  to  look  down  at 
the  bottom  far  below  him. 

"Suppose  the  tree  should  break,"  he  exclaimed, 
in  a  frightened  whisper,  "it  would  be  the  last  of 
a  fellow!  No  one  could  drop  down  there,  and 
save  his  neck  without  a  parachute.  I  guess  the 
best  thing  I  can  do  is  to  get  over  as  soon  as  I 
know  how — " 

At  this  juncture,  as  he  was  on  the  point  of  re- 
suming his  onward  progress,  he  noticed  a  pecu- 
liar jar  of  the  log,  accompanied  by  a  scratching. 
His  first  impression  was  that  it  came  from  be- 


200  IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY. 

hind,  but,  upon  turning  his  head,  could  see  no- 
thing. When,  however,  he  looked  forward,  the 
terrible  explanation  at  once  appeared. 

The  head  or  top  of  the  tree  was  unusually 
bushy  and  luxuriant,  and,  although  a  consider- 
able time  had  elapsed  since  it  had  been  felled,  yet 
there  were  a  great  many  leaves  clinging  to  the 
branches — not  enough  to  afford  concealment  to 
any  animal  fleeing  from  a  hunter.  When  Fred 
first  looked  in  that  direction,  he  failed  to  see  that 
one  of  the  most  dangerous  animals  of  the  South- 
west was  crouching  there. 

As  he  looked  inquiringly  ahead  nowr,  he  ob- 
served a  huge  American  cougar,  larger  than  that 
of  the  night  before,  issuing  from  among  the 
branches.  With  his  phosphorescent  eyes  fixed 
upon  the  terrified  lad,  he  was  stealing  slowly 
along  the  log,  giving  utterance  to  a  deep  gut- 
tural growl,  separating  his  lips  as  he  did  so,  so 
as  to  show  his  long,  white,  needle-like  teeth,  in- 
tended for  the  rending  of  flesh. 

For  a  moment  Fred  was  transfixed  at  the 
sight. 

The  cougar  clearly  nieant  fight,  and  assumed 
the  offensive  without  a  second's  hesitanc}-.  He 
seemed  to  have  been  crouching  in  the  bushes,  and 


IN   THE  PECOS  COUNTRY.  201 

calmly  awaited  the  time  when  the  boy  should 
advance  too  far  to  retreat. 

"I  guess  I'd  better  go  back!"  exclaimed  the 
latter,  recovering  himself,  and  beginning  his  ret- 
rograde movement ;  but  a  few  hitches  showed 
that  he  could  not  escape  the  cougar  in  this  fash- 
ion,' if  he  really  meant  business,  and  it  looked 
very  much  as  if  he  did. 

The  beast  had  already  left  the  other  side,  and, 
like  his  intended  victim,  was  supported  over  the 
chasm  by  the  tree.  He  had  advanced  beyond  the 
fork  made  by  the  junction  of  the  lowermost 
branches  with  the  main  stem,  and  was  stealing 
along  with  an  appearance  of  excessive  caution, 
but  really  with  the  certainty  of  a  brute  who  feels 
that  there  is  no  escape  for  his  prey.  He  moved 
slowly,  burying  his  long,  sharp  claws  so  deeply 
in  the  bark  at  each  step,  that  his  feet  seemed  to 
stick  as  he  lifted  them  again.  All  the  time  his 
large,  round  eyes,  which  had  a  greenish  glare 
like  those  of  a  cat,  were  never  removed  from  the 
face  of  the  lad,  and  the  guttural  growl  that  came 
frow  the  lowermost  depths  of  his  chest  was  like 
the  muttering  of  distant  thunder. 

It  was  not  until  about  a  dozen  feet  separated 
the  two  that  Fred  recalled  that  his  case  was  not 


202  IN   THE   PECOS   COUNTRY. 

so  desperate  as  he  had  imagined.  He  held  a 
loaded  rifle  at  his  command,  and  the  distance 
was  too  short  for  any  mistake  to  be  made  in  the 
aim. 

"I  guess  I'll  stop  your  fun!  "  was  the  exultant 
exclamation  of  the  lad,  as  he  brought  his  rifle  to 
his  shoulder.  "I  don't  like  to  throw  away  a 
shot  on  you,  but  I  don't  see  how  it  can  be 
helped." 

He  sighted  directly  between  the  eyes.  His  hand 
shook  a  little,  and  the  \veapon  was  heavy,  but 
it  was  impossible  that  he  should  miss. 

The  cougar  continued  his  slow,  cautious  ad- 
vance, apparently  unaware  or  uncaring  for  the 
deadly  weapon  aimed  at  him. 

The  distance  was  very  slight  between  the  two 
when  the  trigger  was  pulled,  and  the  heavy  bul- 
let, tearing  its  way  through  bone  and  muscle, 
buried  itself  in  the  brain,  extinguishing  life  with 
the  suddenness  almost  of  the  lightning  stroke. 
The  guttural  growl  wound  up  with  something 
like  a  hoarse  yelp,  and  the  cougar  made  what 
might  be  termed  his  death-leap. 

The  bound  was  a  tremendous  one,  carrying  him 
clear  up  over  the  head  of  the  lad,  who  crouched 
down  in  affright,  expecting  him  to  drop  upon  his 


IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY.  203 

shoulders;  but  lie  passed  far  beyond,  dropping 
upon  the  trunk  of  the  tree,  which  he  clutched 
and  clawed  in  his  blind,  frantic  way,  without 
saving  himself  in  the  least,  and  down  he  went. 

Fred  was  held  with  a  sort  of  fascination,  and 
had  turned  his  head  sufficiently  to  watch  every 
movement  of  his  victim.  When  he  started  down- 
ward, his  whitish  belly  was  turned  upward, 
while  he  continued  to  beat  and  claw  the  air  in 
his  death  struggles. 

As  is  the  tendency  of  falling  bodies,  the  carcass 
of  the  cougar  showed  an  inclination  to  revolve. 
It  began  slowly  turning  over  as  it  descended,  and 
it  must  have  completed  several  revolutions  when 
it  struck  the  rocky  ground  below  like  a  limp 
bundle  of  rags,  and  lay  motionless. 

The  boy,  from  his  lofty  perch,  watched  the  form 
below  him  for  several  minutes,  but  could  detect 
no  sign  of  life,  and  rightly  concluded  there  was 
none. 

"I  wonder  whether  there  are  any  more  there, " 
he  exclaimed,  hesitating  to  go  backward,  while 
he  scrutinized  the  branches  with  the  keenest  kind 
of  anxiety.  "I  don't  see  any  chance  where  one 
could  hide,  and  yet  I  didn't  see  that  other  fel- 
low." 


204  IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY. 

It  was  hardly  possible  that  he  should  find  a 
companion  to  the  one  he  had  just  slain,  and  he 
resumed  his  hitching  forward,  making  it  as  de- 
liberate and  careful  as  he  could.  Clutching  the 
branches,  he  hurried  forward  and  was  soon  upon 
the  other  side  of  the  chasm  which  had  come  so 
nigh  witnessing  his  death.  Without  pausing 
longer  he  hastened  on  and  was  not  long  in  plac- 
ing himself  upon  the  top  of  the  elevation  from 
which  he  was  so  confident  of  gaining  his  view  of 
the  promised  land,  as  the  pass  had  become  to 
him,  now  that  it  seemed  so  difficult  to  find,  and 
was  so  necessary  to  anything  like  progress. 

But  another  disappointment  awaited  him.  The 
most  careful  scrutiny  failed  to  reveal  anything 
like  the  ravine,  and  poor  Fred  was  forced  to  the 
conclusion  that  he  was  hopelessly  lost,  and  noth- 
ing but  Providence  could  bring  him  through  the 
labyrinth  of  peril  in  which  he  was  entangled. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

A  TERRIBLE  BED. 

IT  was  nearly  noon,  and,  having  failed  so  com- 
pletely in  his  efforts  to  regain  the  pass,  Fred  de- 
termined to  devote  a  little  time  to  procuring 
food.  He  was  certain  that  he  would  soon  re- 
quire it  and  might  postpone  his  hunt  too  long. 
Although  now  and  then  he  suffered  somewhat 
from  want  of  water,  yet  it  was  not  for  any 
length  of  time.  There  was  an  abundance  of 
streams  and  rivulets,  and  he  frequently  stumbled 
upon  them,  when  he  had  no  expectation  of  doing 
so.  Quaffing  his  fill  from  one  of  these,  he  rested 
a  few  minutes,  for  he  had  been  laboring  unceas- 
ingly for  hours. 

"What  a  pity  a  fellow,  when  he  got  caught  in 
such  a  fix  as  this,  wasn't  like  a  camel,  so  that 
he  might  store  away  enough  water  to  last  him 
a  week,  and  then  if  he  could  do  the  same  with 
what  he  ate,  he  needn't  feel  scared  when  he  got 
lost  like  me." 

205 


206  IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY. 

His  gun,  of  course,  was  as  useless  to  him  as  a 
stick,  and  although  in  his  long  tramping  it  be- 
came onerous  and  oppressive,  he  had  no  thought 
of  abandoning  it. 

"I  don't  see  as  there  is  any  chance  of  killing 
any  animals  to  eat,  and,  if  I  did,  I  haven't  got 
any  matches  to  start  a  fire  to  cook  them,  so  I 
must  get  what  I  want  some  other  way." 

He  had  noticed  in  his  wanderings  here  and 
there  a  species  of  scarlet  berry,  about  the  size 
of  the  common  cherry,  but  he  refrained  from 
eating  any,  fearing  that  they  were  poison- 
ous. He  now  ventured  to  taste  two  or  three, 
and  found  them  by  no  means  unpleasant  to  the 
palate;  but,  fearful  of  the  consequence,  he  swal- 
lowed but  a  little,  waiting  to  see  the  result  be- 
fore going  into  the  eating  line  any  more  exten- 
sively. 

A  half  hour  having  passed  without  any  internal 
disturbance,  he  fell  to  and  ate  fully  a  pint.  There 
was  not  much  nourishment  in  them,  but  they 
seemed  to  serve  his  purpose  very  well,  and  when 
he  resumed  his  wandering,  he  felt  somewhat  like 
a  giant  refreshed  with  new  wine. 

As  it  seemed  useless  to  lay  out  any  definite  line 
to  follow,  Fred  made  no  attempt  to  do  so,  be- 


IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY.  207 

lieving  he  was  as  likely  to  reach  the  ravine  bj 
aimless  traveling  as  by  acting  upon  any  theory 
of  his  own  as  to  the  location  of  the  place  he  de- 
sired to  reach.  This  he  continued  to  do  until  the 
afternoon  was  about  half  spent.  He  was  still 
plodding  along,  with  some  hope  of  success,  when 
he  became  aware  of  a  sickness  stealing  over  him. 
The  thought  of  the  berries,  and  the  fear  that  he 
had  been  poisoned,  gave  him  such  a  shock  that 
the  slight  nausea  was  greatly  intensified,  and  he 
reclined  upon  the  ground  in  the  hope  that  it 
would  soon  pass  over. 

Instead  of  doing  so,  he  grew  worse,  and  he 
stretched  out  upon  the  ground,  firmly  persuaded 
that  his  last  hour  had  came.  He  was  deathly 
pale,  and  had  he  espied  a  cougar  peering  over 
the  corner  of  the  rock,  he  wouldn't  have  paid 
him  the  least  attention — no,  not  if  there  had  been 
a  dozen  of  them ! 

What  alarmed  Fred  as  much  as  anything  was 
some  of  the  accompaniments  of  his  trouble.  As 
he  laid  his  head  upon  the  ground,  it  seemed  to 
him  that  he  could  catch  the  faint  sound  of  fall- 
ing water,  just  as  if  there  was  a  little  cascade  a 
mile  away,  and  the  gentle  wind  brought  him  the 
soft,  musical  cadence.  Then,  too,  when  he  flung 


208  IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY. 

himself  upon  the  ground,  it  gave  forth  a  hollow 
sound,  such  as  he  had  never  heard  before.  Sev- 
eral times  he  banged  his  heel  against  the  earth, 
and  the  same  peculiarity  was  noticed. 

All  this  the  poor  fellow  took  as  one  of  the  ac- 
companiments of  the  poisoning,  and  as  addi- 
tional proof  that  he  was  beyond  hope.  He  rolled 
upon  the  ground  in  misery,  and  wondered 
whether  he  would  have  his  mind  about  him  when 
the  last  dreadful  moment  should  come ;  but  after 
a  half  hour  or  more  had  passed,  and  he  was  still 
himself,  he  began  to  feel  a  renewal  of  hope. 

"It  may  be  that  I  ate  too  many  of  them,"  he 
reflected,  as  he  found  himself  able  to  sit  up,  "and 
there's  nothing  poisonous  about  them,  after  all. 
If  that's  so,  I've  got  a  good  meal,  anyway,  and 
know  where  to  get  another." 

It  was  nearly  dark,  and,  as  he  was  still  weak, 
he  concluded  to  spend  the  night  where  he  was. 

A  rod  or  so'  away  was  a  dense  clump  of  bushes, 
which  seemed  to  offer  an  inviting  shelter,  and  he 
gained  his  feet  with  the  intention  of  walking  to 
them.  He  had  taken  no  more  than  a  couple  of 
steps,  however,  when  such  a  dizziness  overcame 
him  that  he  sank  at  once  to  the  ground,  and 
stretched  out  for  relief.  It  was  a  case  of  poison- 


IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY.  209 

ing  beyond  question,  but  not  of  a  dangerous  na- 
ture; and  Fred  had  about  time  to  lie  flat  when 
he  experienced  a  grateful  relief. 

"I  guess  I'll  stay  here  a  while,"  he  muttered, 
recalling  his  experience.  "I  can  crawl  in  among 
the  bushes  in  the  night,  if  I  find  it  getting  cold, 
or  any  rain  falls." 

Darkness  had  scarcely  descended,  when  the  lad 
sank  into  a  quiet,  dreamless  slumber.  His  rest 
of  the  night  previous  had  not  been  of  a  refresh- 
ing character,  and  his  traveling  during  the  day 
had  been  very  exhaustive,  so  that  his  wearied 
system  was  greatly  in  need  of  rest. 

Fred  was  really  in  the  most  delightful  climate 
in  the  world.  New  Mexico  is  so  far  south  that 
the  heat  in  many  portions,  at  certain  seasons  of 
the  year,  assumes  a  tropical  fervor.  On  some  of 
the  arid  plains  the  sun's  rays  have  an  intensity 
like  that  of  the  Sahara;  but  numerous  ranges  of 
mountains  traverse  the  territory  north  and 
south,  with  spurs  in  all  directions,  and  the  ele- 
vation of  many  of  these  give  a  temperature  as 
cool  and  pleasant  as  can  be  desired. 

As  the  lad  stretched  out  upon  the  ground,  he 
was  without  a  blanket,  or  any  covering  except 
his  ordinary  clothes,  and  he  needed  nothing  more. 


210  IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY. 

The  surrounding  rocks  shut  out  all  wind,  and 
the  air  was  not  warm  enough  to  cause  perspir- 
ation. The  fact  was,  he  had  struck  that  golden 
mean  which  leaves  nothing  to  be  desired  as  re- 
gards the  atmosphere. 

The  sky  remained  clear,  and,  as  the  moon 
climbed  higher  and  higher  in  the  sky,  it  was 
only  at  intervals  that  a  fleecy  cloud  floated 
before  it,  causing  fantastic  shadows  to  glide 
over  the  ground,  and  making  strange  phantom- 
like  formations  among  the  mountain  peaks  and 
along  the  chasms,  gorges,  ravines,  and  preci- 
pices. Had  the  sleeping  lad  awoke  and  risen  to 
his  feet,  he  would  have  seen  nothing  of  wolf, 
catamount,  or  Indian,  nor  would  the  straining 
vision  have  caught  the  glimmer  of  any  solitary 
camp-fire.  He  was  alone  in  the  great  solitude, 
with  no  eye  but  the  all-seeing  One  to  watch 
over  him. 

It  was  a  curious  fact  connected  with  the  boy's 
wanderings  that  more  than  once  he  was  within 
a  stone's  throw  of  the  pass  for  which  he  was  so 
anxiously  searching;  and  yet  he  never  suspected 
it,  owing  to  his  unfamiliarity  with  the  territory. 
As  is  nearly  always  the  case  with  an  inex- 
perienced hunter,  he  showed  a  continual  tendency 


IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY.  211 

to  travel  in  a  circle,  the  nature  of  the  ground 
only  preventing  him  from  doing  so. 

Fred  slept,  without  disturbance,  until  after 
midnight.  An  hour  or  so  previous  to  his  wak- 
ing, when  the  moon  was  in  the  best  position  to 
lighten  up  the  earth  below,  the  figure  of  a  man 
appeared  upon  an  eminence,  a  hundred  yards  or 
more  away,  and  stood  motionless  for  several 
minutes,  as  though  he  were  engaged  in  reverie. 

Could  one  have  looked  more  closely,  he  would 
have  seen  that  the  stranger's  action  and  manner 
showed  that  he  was  hunting  for  something.  He 
turned  slowly  around  several  times,  scanning  the 
ravines,  gorges,  peaks,  and  declivities  as  best  he 
could;  but  he  did  not  expect  to  gain  much, 
without  the  daylight  to  assist  him,  and  the 
result  of  the  attempt  was  anything  but  satis- 
factory. 

Muttering  some  impatient  exclamation,  he 
turned  about  and  walked  slowly  away,  tak- 
ing a  direction  almost  the  opposite  of  that  which 
led  toward  the  sleeping  boy.  He  moved  with 
caution,  like  one  accustomed  to  the  wilderness, 
and  was  soon  lost  to  view  in  the  gloom. 

When  Fred  Munson  awoke,  it  was  with  the 
impression  upon  him  that  he  was  near  some 


212  IN   THE   PECOS   COUNTRY. 

-waterfall.  He  raised  his  head,  but  could  detect 
nothing;  but  when  he  placed  his  ear  to  the 
ground,  he  caught  it  once  again. 

"I  have  it!"  he  said  to  himself;  ''there  is  a 
waterfall  somewhere  about  here  under  the 
ground.  That's  what  makes  it  sound  so  hollow 
when  I  stamp  on  it." 

He  was  greatly  relieved  to  find  that  no  results 
of  his  afternoon's  nausea  remained  by  him.  He 
had  recovered  entirely,  and  when  he  rather 
doubtingly  assumed  the  sitting  position  and  felt 
that  his  head  and  stomach  remained  clear  he 
was  considerably  elated  in  spirits. 

"That  shows  that  I  can  get  a  meal  at  any 
time,  if  I  want  it  bad  enough  to  take  a  few 
hours'  sickness  in  pay.  Maybe  I  can  find  some- 
thing else  to  eat  which  won't  be  so  hard  on 
me.  It  must  be  very  near  morning,  for  I  have 
slept  a  great  while." 

The  hour,  however,  was  earlier  then  he  sup- 
posed, and  he  found,  after  sitting  awhile,  that 
his  old  drowsiness  was  returning. 

Before  giving  way  to  it,  he  recalled  the  clump 
of  bushes,  which  was  so  near  that  it  was  easily 
seen  from  where  he  sat. 


IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY.  213 

"I  forgot  that  I  meant  to  make  my  bed 
there." 

With  which  he  rose  and  moved  toward  it,  not 
feeling  altogether  certain  of  the  wisdom  of  what 
he  was  doing. 

"That  looks  very  much  like  the  place  where 
the  cougar  was  waiting  for  me,  but  I  didn't 
think  there  were  enough  in  this  country  to  fur- 
nish one  for  every  bush." 

He  reconnoitered  it  for  several  minutes,  but 
finally  ventured  upon  a  closer  acquaintance. 
There  certainly  was  no  wild  animal  there,  and 
he  stooped  down  and  began  crawling  toward 
the  centre. 

He  was  near  the  middle  when  he  was  alarmed 
at  finding  the  ground  giving  way  beneath  him. 
It  was  sinking  rapidly  downward,  and  he 
clutched  desperately  at  the  bushes  to  save  him- 
self, but  those  that  he  grasped  yielded  and  went, 
too. 

In  his  terror  and  despair  he  cried  out,  and 
fought  like  a  madman  to  save  himself;  but  there 
was  nothing  firm  or  substantial  upon  which  he 
could  lay  hold,  and  he  was  helpless  to  check  his 
descent. 


214  IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY. 

Down,  down,  down  he  went  in  the  pulseless 
darkness,  lower  and  lower,  until  he  found  him- 
self going  through  the  dizz3Ting  air  —  to  where? 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

WITHIN  THE  EARTH. 

IT  was  like  a  terrible  dream,  and,  for  an  in- 
stant or  more,  during  which  Fred  Munson  was 
descending  through  the  gloom  and  darkness,  he 
believed  it  was  such  indeed;  but  he  was  quickly 
recalled  from  his  error  by  his  arrival  at  the  end 
of  his  journey.  The  truth  was  that  the  boy,  in 
crawling  beneath  the  clump  of  bushes  for  shelter, 
would  have  crawled  head  first  into  the  mouth  of 
the  cave,  but  for  the  fact  that  the  ground  imme- 
diately surrounding  the  opening  gave  way  be- 
neath his  weight  before  he  reached  it. 

His  fall  was  not  very  far,  and  when  he  struck 
the  ground,  it  was  so  soft  and  yielding  that  he 
was  scarcely  conscious  of  a  jar;  but  the  nervous 
shock  was  so  great  that,  for  a  few  minutes,  he 
believed  that  he  was  fatally  injured. 

When  he  was  able  to  recall  his  scattered  senses, 
he  looked  around  him  in  the  hope  of  gaining 
some  idea  of  where  he  was ;  but  he  quickly  saw 
that  he  was  in  a  place  where  his  eyes  were  of 

215 


216  IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY. 

no  service.  The  darkness  was  as  impenetrable 
as  that  which  plagued  Pharoah  and  his  Egyp- 
tians. Only  when  he  looked  upward  was  the 
blackness  of  darkness  relieved.  Enough  strag- 
gling rays  wprked  their  way  through  the  bushes 
to  give  the  opening  a  dim,  misty  appearance,  such 
as  is  sometimes  observed  when  that  orb  is  rising 
in  a  cloud  of  fog  and  vapor ;  but  in  every  other 
direction  he  might  as  well  have  been  blind,  for 
all  the  good  his  eyes  did  him. 

One  of  the  first  things  that  struck  the  lad  was 
the  sound  of  the  waterfall  which  he  had  heard  so 
distinctly  when  stretched  upon  the  earth.  It  was 
somewhere  near  him — so  close,  even,  that  he 
fancied  he  could  feel  the  dampness  from  it,  but 
the  soft,  rippling  character  showed  that  it  did 
not  amount  to  much.  It  was  a  mere  cascade, 
the  water  of  which  entered  and  passed  out  the 
cavern  by  some  means  which  the  boy  could  only 
surmise. 

How  extensive  was  this  cave? 

Had  it  any  outlet  other  than  that  by  which 
Fred  had  entered?  Was  the  flow  even  or  irreg- 
ular? Were  there  pitfalls  and  abysses  about  him, 
making  it  too  perilous  to  attempt  to  grope 
about  in  the  gloom? 


IX  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY.  217 

Having  entered,  how  was  he  to  make  his  way 
out  again? 

Such  questions  as  these  presented  themselves 
to  the  boy,  as  he  stood  alone  in  a  world  of 
night,  and  endeavored  to  consider  the  situation 
calmly.  Stooping  down,  he  felt  of  the  soil.  It 
was  of  a  cold,  sandy  nature,  and  so  yielding 
that,  when  he  struck  it,  he  went  below  his 
ankles. 

He  stood  for  some  time,  debating  whether  he 
should  remain  where  he  was  until  the  coming  of 
day,  in  the  hope  of  gaining  additional  light,  or 
whether  he  should  venture  upon  a  little  cautious 
exploration.  He  finally  decided  upon  the  latter. 

"When  the  elephant  goes  on  a  bridge,  he  feels 
of  it  with  his  trunk  to  see  whether  it  is  strong 
enough  to  bear  him,  and  I'll  use  my  gun  to  do 
the  same  thing." 

This  was  no  more  than  a  simple  precaution, 
and  doubtless  saved  his  life.  Grasping  the  stock 
firmly,  he  reached  the  muzzle  forward,  and 
"punched"  the  ground  pretty  thoroughly  before 
venturing  upon  it,  making  sure  that  it  was  cap- 
able of  bearing  him  safely  forward  into  the  dark- 
ness beyond. 

Generally  speaking,  the  ground  of  the  cavern 


218  IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY. 

was  tolerably  even.  There  were  little  irregulari- 
ties here  and  there,  but  none  of  them  were  of  a 
nature  to  interfere  with  walking,  provided  one 
could  have  enough  light  to  see  where  he  was 
going. 

"If  I  only  had  a  lantern,  I  could  get  round 
this  neighborhood  a  good  deal  faster  than  this," 
he  said.  "It  wouldn't  be  anything  more  than 
fun  to  explore  this  cave,  which  may  be  as  big  as 
the  mammoth  one  of  Kentucky." 

Up  to  this  time  Fred  had  been  moving  almost 
directly  away  from  the  cascade  which  he  had 
noticed.  The  misty  light  over  his  head  served 
somewhat  as  a  guide,  and  he  determined  not  to 
wander  away  from  that,  which  would  prevent 
his  getting  lost  in  the  bowels  of  the  earth.  The 
boy  was  quite  confident  that  there  was  some 
easy  way  of  getting  out  of  the  cave ;  for  if  there 
was  none,  except  by  the  opening  above,  then  he 
was  in  a  Bastile,  most  surely. 

It  was  undoubtedly  the  cascade  which  added 
to  this  conviction,  for  it  seemed  to  him  more 
than  likely  that  if  the  water  entered  and  left  the 
cave,  the  volume  which  did  so  must  be  of  a  vary- 
ing quantity,  so  that  at  certain  seasons  it  was 
capable  of  carrying  a  boy  with  it.  This,  of 


IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY.  219 

course,  was  extremely  problematical,  but  it  was 
hopeful  enough  to  prevent  anything  like  despair 
taking  possession  of  the  lad  as  he  felt  his  way 
around  the  cavern. 

"Every  stream  finds  its  way  to  the  daylight 
after  a  time,  and  so  must  this,  and  why  can't  it 
take  a  fellow  along  with  it?  That's  what  I 
should  like  to  know " 

He  paused,  with  a  gasp  of  amazement,  for  at 
that  moment  the  gun  went  out  of  his  hand  as 
suddenly  as  if  some  one  in  waiting  had  grasped 
the  muzzle  and  jerked  it  away. 

But  there  was  no  human  agency  in  the  mat- 
ter. While  punching  the  surface,  he  had  ap- 
proached a  vast  abyss,  and  the  thrust  over  the 
edge  was  so  unexpected  that  the  impulse  carried 
it  out  of  his  hand. 

As  the  boy  stood  amazed  and  frightened,  he 
heard  the  weapon  going  downward,  Heaven 
could  only  tell  where.  First  it  struck  one  side, 
and  then  another,  the  sound  growing  fainter  and 
fainter,  until  at  last  the  strained  and  listening 
ear  failed  to  hear  it  at  all.  The  depth  of  the 
opening  was  therefore  enormous,  and  Fred  shud- 
dered to  think  how  nearly  he  had  approached, 


220  IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY. 

and  by  what  a  hair's  breadth  he  had  escaped  * 
terrible  death. 

At  this  juncture,  the  boy  suddenly  recalled  that 
he  had  some  friction  matches  in  his  possession. 
He  was  not  in  the  habit  of  carrying  them,  but 
several  days  before  he  had  carefully  wrapped  up 
a  half-dozen,  with  the  intention  of  kindling  a  fire 
in  the  wood  near  New  Boston.  From  that  time 
until  the  present  he  had  failed  to  remember  the 
circumstance,  although  he  had  so  frequently  felt 
the  need  of  a  light. 

He  found  a  half-dozen  securely  wrapped  about 
with  a  piece  of  newspaper,  and  he  carefully  struck 
one. 

The  moment  the  point  flickered  into  a  flame, 
he  held  it  forward  and  looked  downward. 

There  was  the  chasm,  which  came  so  nigh 
swallowing  him,  in  the  shape  of  a  searr*  or  rent 
some  three  or  four  feet  in  width.  It  had  the  ap- 
pearance of  having  been  caused  by  some  convul- 
sion of  nature,  and  it  extended  at  right  angles 
to  the  course  he  was  pursuing,  beyond  the  limit 
of  his  vision.  If  necessary,  it  could  be  leaped 
over,  but  the  explorer  deemed  it  unwise  to  do  so 
just  then. 

Now  that  he  had  the  means  at  command,  Fred 


IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY.  221 

decided  to  look  after  the  cascade,  the  sound  of 
which  was  a  guide.  His  gun  was  irrevocably 
gone,  and  his  progress,  therefore,  became  the 
more  tedious.  Disliking  to  creep,  he  adopted  the 
plan  of  advancing  one  step,  and  then  groping 
around  awhile  with  the  other  foot,  before  trust- 
ing his  weight  upon  it.  This  consumed  consider- 
able time,  but  it  was  the  only  safe  course,  after 
what  had  taken  place,  and  he  kept  it  up  until 
the  musical  murmur  of  the  waterfall  showed 
that  he  had  approached  about  as  close  as  pos- 
sible. 

He  then  struck  another  match  and  held  it  over 
his  head.  It  told  the  whole  story. 

A  stream,  not  more  than  three  or  four  feet  in 
width,  issued  from  the  darkness,  and,  flowing 
some  distance,  went  over  a  ledge  of  rock.  After 
falling  three  or  four  yards,  upon  some  black  and 
jagged  rocks,  it  gathered  itself  together  and  re- 
sumed its  journey  into  and  through  the  gloom. 
The  tiny  flame  was  unequal  to  the  task  of  show- 
ing where  the  water  entered  and  left  the  cave, 
and,  as  the  boy  was  straining  his  eyesight  in  the 
hope  of  discovering  something  more,  the  blaze 
scorched  his  fingers,  he  snapped  it  out. 

"That  leaves   only  four,"  he  mused,  as  he  felt 


222  IX  THE   PRCOS  COUNTRY. 

of  the  lucifers,  "and  I  haven't  got  enough  to 
spare.  I  can't  gain  much  by  using  them  that  way, 
and  so  I  guess  I'll  hold  on  to  these,  and  see 
•whether  the  daylight  is  going  to  help  me." 

He  picked  his  way  carefully  along  until  he  was 
nearly  beneath  the  opening  which  had  admitted 
him,  where  he  sat  down  upon  the  dry,  sandy 
ground  to  await  the  light  of  the  sun. 

"I  don't  suppose  it  will  help  much,  for  the 
bushes  up  there  will  keep  out  pretty  much  of  the 
sunlight  that  might  have  come  through;  but  I 
guess  I'll  have  plenty  time  to  wait,  and  that's 
what  I'll  do." 

He  fell  into  a  sort  of  doze,  lulled  by  the  music 
of  the  cascade,  which  lasted  until  the  night  was 
over.  As  soon  as  he  awoke,  he  looked  upward 
to  see  how  matters  stood. 

The  additional  light  showed  that  the  day  had 
come,  but  it  produced  no  perceptible  effect  upon 
the  interior  of  the  cave.  All  was  as  dark — that 
is,  upon  the  bottom — as  ever.  It  was  only  in  the 
upper  portion  that  there  was  a  faint  lighting-up. 

Fred  could  see  the  jagged  edges  of  the  opening, 
with  some  of  the  bushes  bent  over,  and  seem- 
ingly ready  to  drop  down,  with  the  dirt  and 
gravel  clinging  to  their  roots.  The  opening  was 


IN  THE   PECOS  COUNTRY.  223 

irregular,  and  some  four  or  five  feet  in  extent, 
and,  as  near  as  he  could  estimate,  was  some 
thirty  feet  above  his  head. 

"If  I  happened  to  come  down  on  a  rock,  I 
might  have  got  hurt ;  but  things  down  here  were 
fixed  to  catch  me,  and  it  begins  to  look  as  though 
they  were  fixed  to  hold  me,  too." 

His  situation  was  certainly  very  serious.  He 
had  no  gun  or  weapons  of  any  kind  other  than 
a  common  jack-knife,  and  it  looked  very  much 
as  if  there  was  no  way  for  him  to  get  out  the 
cave  again  without  outside  assistance,  of  which 
the  prospect  was  exceedingly  remote. 

He  was  hungry,  and  without  the  means  of  ob- 
taining food. 

The  berries,  which  had  acted  so  queerly  with 
him  the  day  before,  were  beyond  his  reach. 

Vegetation  needs  the  sunlight,  as  do  all  of  us, 
and  it  is  useless  to  expect  anything  edible  be- 
low. 

"Unless  it's  fish,"  thought  Fred,  aloud.  "I've 
heard  that  they  find  them  in  the  Mammoth  Cave 
without  eyes,  and  there  may  be  some  of  the 
same  kind  here ;  but  then  I'm  just  the  same  as  a 
boy  without  eyes,  and  how  am  I  going  to  find 
them?" 


224  IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY. 

The  more  he  reflected  upon  his  situation,  tho. 
more  disheartened  did  he  become.  He  had  been 
given  many  remarkable  deliverances  in  the  past 
few  days,  and  although  his  faith  was  strong 
that  Providence  would  bring  him  out  of  this  last 
predicament,  his  heart  misgave  him  as  he  con- 
sidered it  in  all  its  bearings. 

"The  best  thing  I  can  do  is  to  try  and  gather 
some  wood  together,  and  start  a  fire.  If  there 
is  enough  fuel,  I  may  kindle  a  lantern  that  will 
show  me  something  in  the  way  of  a  new  door 
Halloa!  what  is  the  matter?" 

His  attention  was  attracted  by  the  rattling  of 
gravel  and  dirt  at  his  side,  and  looking  up,  he 
saw  that  something  was  struggling  in  the  open- 
ing above,  having  been  caught  apparently  in 
precisely  the  same  manner  as  he  had  been. 

His  first  supposition  was  that  it  was  a  wild 
animal,  but  the  next  moment  he  observed  that 
it  was  a  person,  most  probably  an  Apache  war- 
rior. And  by  the  time  Fred  had  learned  that 
much,  down  came  his  visitor. 


'BEGORRAH,  IF  i  HAVEN'T  FELL  THROUGH  INTO  THE  CELLAR!' 
Page  2l>5. 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

A  WELCOME  VISITOR. 

LONELY  as  Fred  Mtmson  felt  in  that  dismal 
cavern,  he  preferred  the  solitude  to  the  compan- 
ionship of  an  Apache  Indian,  and,  fearful  of  dis- 
covery, he  crouched  down  to  wait  until  he  should 
move  away.  His  involuntary  visitor  dropped 
within  a  few  feet  of  where  he  was  hiding,  and 
Fred  tried  to  hold  his  breath  for  fear  he  might 
be  detected ;  but  the  fellow  quietly  rose  and  gave 
expression  to  his  sentiments. 

"Begorrah,  if  I  haven't  fell  through  into  the 
cellar,  as  me  grandmither  did  when  she  danced 
down  the  whole  party,  and  landed  on  the  bot- 
tom, and  kept  up  the  jig  without  a  break,  keep- 
ing time  with  the  one-eyed  fiddler  above." 

Fred  could  scarcely  believe  the  evidence  of  his 
own  senses.  That  was  the  voice  of  his  old 
friend,  Mickey  O'Rooney,  or  else  he  was  more 
mistaken  than  he  had  ever  been  in  his  life.  But 
whatever  doubts  might  have  lingered  with  him 

225 


226  IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY. 


removed  by  the  words  that  immediately 
followed. 

"It  beats  the  blazes  where  that  young  spal- 
peen can  be  kaping  himself.  Me  and  Misther 
Simpson  have  been  on  the  hunt  for  two  days 
and  more,  and  now  when  I  got  on  his  trail,  and 
found  where  he'd  crawled  into  the  bushes,  and  I 
tried  to  do  the  same,  I  crawled  into  the  biggest 
cellar  in  the  whole  world,  and  I  can't  find  the 
stairs  to  walk  out  again  -  " 

"  Hello  a,  Mickey  !  Is  that  you,  my  old  friend  ?  " 
called  out  the  overjoyed  lad,  springing  forward, 
throwing  his  arms  about  him,  and  breaking  in 
most  effectually  upon  his  meditations. 

The  Irishman  was  mystified  for  a  moment,  but 
he  recognized  the  voice,  reached  down,  and 
placed  his  arms  in  turn  about  the  lad. 

"Begorrah,  if  this  ain't  the  greatest  surprise 
of  me  life,  as  Mr.  O'Spangarkoghomagh  re- 
marked when  I  called  and  paid  him  a  little 
balance  that  I  owed  him.  I've  had  a  hard  hunt 
for  you,  and  had  about  guv  you  up  when  I  came 
down  on  you  in  this  shtyle.  Freddy,  me  boy,  I 
crave  the  privilege  of  axing  ye  a  question." 

"Ask  me  a  thousand,  if  you  want,"  replied  the 
boy,  dancing  about  with  delight. 


IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY.  227 

"Are  ye  sure  that  it's  yoursilf  and  nobody 
else?  I  don't  want  to  make  a  mistake  that'll 
cause  me  mortification,  and  ye  must  answer 
carefully." 

"I'm  sure  it  is  I,  Fred  Munson." 

"Whoop!  hurrah!"  shouted  Mickey,  leaping 
several  feet  in  the  air,  and,  as  he  came  down, 
striking  at  once  into  the  Tipperary  jig. 

The  overjoyed  fellow  kept  it  up  for  several 
minutes,  making  the  cold,  moist  sand  fly  in 
every  direction.  He  terminated  the  performance 
by  a  higher  leap  than  ever,  and  a  regular 
Comanche  war-whoop.  Having  vented  his  over- 
flowing spirits  in  this  fashion,  the  Irishman  was 
ready  to  come  down  to  something  like  more 
sober  common  sense.  Reaching  out,  he  took  the 
hand  of  Fred,  saying  as  he  did  so : 

"Let  me  kaap  hold  of  your  flipper,  so  that  I 
can  prevint  your  drifting  away.  Now  tell  me, 
my  laddy,  how  did  you  get  here?" 

"I  come  down  the  same  way  that  you  did." 

"Through  the  skylight  up  there?  It's  a  handy 
way  of  going  down-stairs,  the  only  trouble  being 
that  it's  sometimes  inconvanient  to  stop  so  sud- 
dint  like.  Didn't  you  obsarve  the  opening  till 
you  stepped  into  it?" 


228  IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY. 

"I  didn't  see  it  then.  I  was  near  it,  asleep, 
and  when  I  woke  up  in  the  night  I  crawled  in 
under  the  bushes  to  shelter  myself,  when  I  went 
through  into  the  cave.  How  was  it  you  fol- 
lowed?" 

"I  was  sarching  for  ye,  as  I've  been  doing  for 
the  last  two  days  and  more.  I  obsarved  the 
hole,  for  I  had  the  daylight  to  help  me,  and  I 
crawled  up  to  take  a  paap  down  to  see  who 
lived  there,  when  I  must  have  gone  too  fur,  as 
me  uncle  obsarved  after  he  had  been  hung  in  a 
joke,  and  the  ground  crumbled  beneath  me,  and 
I  slid  in.  But  let  me  ax  you  again,  are  ye  much 
acquainted  in  these  parts?  You  know  I'm  a 
stranger." 

"I  never  was  here  before.  I've  looked  around 
all  I  can,  but  haven't  been  able  to  find  how  big 
the  cave  is.  There's  a  small  waterfall,  and  the 
stream  comes  in  and  goes  out  somewhere,  and 
there  is  one  rent,  at  least,  so  deep  that  I  don't 
believe  it  has  any  bottom.  I've  learned  that 
much,  and  that's  all." 

"That's  considerable  for  a  laddy  like  you.  Are 
you  hungry?" 

"You'd  better  believe  I  am." 

"Why  had  I  better  belave  it?"  asked  Mickey, 


IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY.  229 

with  an  assumption  of  gravity  that  it  was  im- 
possible for  him  to  feel.  If  ye  give  me  your  word 
of  honor,  I'll  belave  you,  because  I've  been  hun- 
gry myself,  and  know  how  it  goes.  I  have 
some  lunch  wid  me,  and  if  ye  don't  faal  above 
ating  with  common  folks,  we'll  sup  together." 

"I  am  so  glad,"  responded  Fred,  who  was 
indeed  in  need  of  something  substantial.  "I  feel 
weak  and  hollow." 

"Ye  shall  have  your  fill;  take  the  word  of  an 
Irishman  for  that.  Would  you  like  to  smoke?" 

"You  know  I  never  smoke,  Mickey." 

"I  didn't  ax  ye  that  question,  but  if  ye  doesn't 
feel  inclined  to  do  the  same,  I'll  indulge  myself  a 
little." 

The  speaker  had  been  preparing  his  pipe  and 
tobacco  while  they  -were  talking,  and,  as  he 
uttered  the  last  words,  he  twitched  the  match 
against  the  bowl,  and  immediately  began  draw- 
ing at  it. 

As  the  volumes  of  smoke  issuing  from  his 
mouth  showed  that  the  flame  had  done  its  duty, 
he  held  the  match  aloft,  and  looked  down  in  the 
smiling,  upturned  face  of  the  lad,  scrutinizing  the 
handsome  countenance,  as  long  as  the  tiny  bit 
of  pine  held  out. 


230  IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY. 

"Yes,  it's  your  own  lovely  self,  as  Barney  Me- 
Dougan's  wife  obsarved,  when  he  came  home 
drunk,  with  one  eye  punched  out  and  his  head 
cracked.  Do  ye  know  that  while  I  was  survey- 
ing your  swate  face  I  saw  something  behind 
ye?" 

"No.  What  was  it?"  demanded  Fred,  with  a 
start  and  shudder,  looking  back  in  the  darkness. 

"  Oh !  it  was  nothing/that  will  harm  ye.  I  think 
there  be  some  bits  of  wood  there  that  kin  be 
availed  of  in  the  way  of  kindling  a  fire,  and 
that's  what  I  misses  more  than  anything  else,  as 
me  mither  used  to  say  when  she  couldn't  find 
the  whisky-bottle.  Bestir  yourself,  me  ladd}r,  and 
assist  me  in  getting  together  some  scraps." 

The  Irishman  was  not  mistaken  in  his  suppo- 
sition. Groping  around,  they  found  quite  a 
quantity  of  sticks  and  bits  of  wood.  All  of 
these  were  dry,  and  the  best  kind  of  kindling 
stuff  that  could  be  obtained.  Mickey  was  never 
without  his  knife,  and  he  whittled  several  of 
these  until  sure  they  would  take  the  flame  from 
a  match  when  he  made  the  essay. 

The  fire  caught  readily,  and,  carefully  nursed, 
it  spread  until  it  roared  and  crackled  like  an  old- 
fashioned  camp-fire.  As  it  rose  higher  and  higher, 


IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY.  231 

and  the  heavy  gloom  was  penetrated  and  lit  up 
by  the  vivifying  rays,  Mickey  and  Fred  used 
their  eyes  to  the  best  of  their  ability. 

The  cave  seemed  to  stretch  away  into  fathom- 
less darkness  in  every  direction,  excepting  one, 
which  was  toward  the  waterfall  or  cascade. 
This  appeared  to  be  at  one  side,  instead  of  run- 
ning through  the  centre.  The  dark  walls  could 
be  seen  on  the  other  side, of  the  stream,  and  the 
gleam  and  glitter  of  the  water,  for  some  distance 
both  above  and  below  the  plunge. 

"Do  you  obsarve  anything  new?"  asked 
Mickey. 

"Nothing  more  than  what  I  toldj^ou,"  replied 
Fred,  supposing  he  referred  to  the  extent  of  the 
cavern. 

"I  have  larned  something,"  said  the  man,  sig- 
nificantly. 

"What's  that?" 

"Somebody's  been  here  ahead  of  us." 

"How  do  you  know  that?" 

"I've  got  the  proof.  Will  you  note  that,  right 
there  before  your  eyes?" 

As  he  spoke,  he  pointed  to  the  kindling-wood, 
or  fuel,  of  which  they  had  collected  considerable, 
while  there  was  plenty  more  visible  around  them. 


232  IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY. 

Fred  was  not  sure  that  he  understood  him,  so 
he  still  looked  questioningly  toward  him. 

"Wood  doesn't  grow  in  such  places  as  this, 
no  more  than  ye  can  find  praties  sprouting  out 
of  the  sidev  of  a  tea  kettle ;  but  then  it  might 
have  been  pitched  down  the  hole  above,  or  got 
drifted  into  it  without  anybody  helping,  if  it 
wasn't  for  the  fact  that  there's  been  a  camp- 
fire  here  before." 

"How  do  you  make  that  out,  Mickey?" 

The  Irishman  stooped  down  and  picked  up 
one  of  the  pieces  of  -wood,  which  was  waiting  to 
be  thrown  upon  the  camp  fire.  Holding  it  out, 
he  showed  that  the  end  was  charred. 

"That  isn't  the  only  stick  that's  built  after  the 
same  shtyle,  showing  tliat  this  isn't  the  first 
camp-fire  that  was  got  up  in  these  parts.  There's 
been  gintlemen  here  before  to-day,  and  they  must 
have  had  some  way  of  coming  and  going  that 
we  haven't  diskivered  as  yet." 

There  seemed  nothing  unlikely  in  this  supposi- 
tion of  Mickey's,  who  picked  up  his  rifle  from 
where  he  had  left  it  lying  on  the  ground,  and 
stared  inquiringly  around  in  the  gloom. 

"I  wonder  whether  there  be  any  wild  ani- 
mals prowling  around  ?  " 


IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY.  233 

"I  don't  think  that  could  be;  for  there 
couldn't  many  of  them  fall  through  that  hole 
that  let  us  in,  and  if  they  did,  they  would  soon 
die." 

"That  minds  me  that  you  hinted  something 
about  feeling  the  cravings  of  hunger,  and  I  sig- 
nified to  you  that  I  had  something  for  ye  about 
my  clothes;  and  so  I  have,  if  it  isn't  lost." 

As  he  spoke,  he  drew  from  beneath  his  waist- 
coat a  package,  carefully  -wrapped  about  with 
an  ordinary  newspaper.  Gently  drawing  the  cov- 
ering aside,  he  displayed  a  half-dozen  pieces  of 
deer-meat,  cooked  to  a  turn. 

"Will  ye  take  some?"  he  asked,  handing  one 
to  Fred,  who  could  scarcely  conceal  his  craving 
eagerness,  as  he  began  masticating  it. 

"How  comes  it  that  you  have  that  by  you?" 

"  I  ginerally  goes  prepared  for  the  most  desprit 
emargencies,  as  me  mither  used  to  remark  when 
she  stowed  the  whisky-bottle  away  wid  the 
lunch  she  was  takin'  with  her.  It  was  about 
the  middle  of  yisterday  afternoon  that  I  fetched 
down  a  deer  that  was  browsing  on  the  bank  of 
a  small  stream  that  I  raiched,  and,  as  a  matter 
of  coorse,  I  made  my  dinner  on  him.  I  tried  to 
lay  in  enough  stock  to  last  me  for  a  week — that 


234  IN  THE  PEC  OS  COUNTRY. 

is,  under  my  waistband — but  I  hadn't  the  room; 
so  I  sliced  up  several  pieces,  rather  overcooked 
'em,  so  as  to  make  'em  handy  to  carry,  and 
then  wrapped  'em  up  in  the  paper." 

"It's  a  common-sense  arrangement,"  added 
Mickey.  "I  had  the  time  and  the  chance  to  do 
it,  and  it  was  likely  to  happen  that,  when  I 
wanted  the  next  meal,  I  -wouldn't  have  the  same 
opportunity,  remembering  which  I  did  as  I  said, 
and  the  result  is,  I've  brought  your  dinner  to 
you." 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

A  SUBTERRANEAN  CAMP-FIRE. 

THERE  is  no  sauce  like  hunger,  and  after  Fred 
Munson's  experience  of  partial  starvation,  and 
nausea  from  the  -wild  berries  which  he  had  eaten, 
the  venison  -was  as  luscious  as  could  be.  It 
seemed  to  him  that  he  had  never  tasted  of  any- 
thing he  could  compare  to  it. 

"Fred,  me  laddy,  tell  me  all  that  has  happened 
to  you  since  we  met — not  that,  aither,  but  since 
Lone  Wolf  snapped  you  up  on  his  mustang,  and 
ran  away  wid  you.  I  -wasn't  about  the  city 
when  the  Apaches  made  their  call,  being  off  on  a 
hunt,  as  you  will  remember,  so  I  didn't  see  all 
the  sport,  but  I  heard  the  same  from  Misther 
Simpson." 

Thus  invited,  the  boy  went  over  the  narration, 
already  known,  giving  the  full  particulars  of  his 
adventures,  from  the  morning  he  opened  his  eyes 
and  found  himself  in  the  camp  of  the  Apaches  in 
the  mountains,  to  the  hour  when  he  slipped 

235 


236  IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY. 

through  from  the  upper  earth  into  the  cave  be- 
low. Mickey  listened  with  great  interest,  fre- 
quently interrupting  and  expressing  his  surprise 
and  gratitude  at  the  good  fortune  which  seemed 
to  succeed  bad  fortune  in  every  case. 

"You  sometimes  read  of  laddies  like  3*ou  get- 
tin  out  of  the  claws  of  these  spalpeens,  but  you 
don't  often  see  it,  though  you've  been  lucky 
enough  to  get  out." 

"Now,  Mickey,  tell  me  how  it  was  that  you 
came  to  get  on  my  track." 

"Well,  you  see,  I  got  back  to  New  Bosting 
shortly  after  the  rumpus.  I  would  have  been  in 
time  enough  to  have  had  a  hand  in  the  wind-up, 
if  it  had  n't  been  that  I  got  into  a  little  circus  of 
my  own.  Me  and  a  couple  of  Apaches  tried  the 
game  of  cracking  each  other's  heads,  that  was 
spun  out  longer  than  we  meant,  and  so,  as  I 
was  obsarving,  when  I  rode  into  town,  the  fun 
was  all  over.  I  found  Misther  Simpson  just  get- 
tin'  ready  to  take  your  trail,  and  he  axed  me  to 
do  the  same,  and  I  was  mighty  glad  to  do  it.  I 
was  desirous  of  bringing  along  your  horse  Hur- 
ricane, for  you  to  ride  when  we  should  get  you, 
but  Soot  wouldn't  hear  of  it.  He  said  the  horse 
would  only  be  a  bother,  and  if  we  should  lay 


IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY.  237 

hands  onto  you,  either  of  our  horses  was  strong 
enough  to  take  you,  so  we  left  the  crature  be- 
hind." 

"Did  you  have  any  trouble   in  following  us?" 
"Not  at  first;  a  hundred  red  spalpeens   riding 
over  the  prairie  can't  any  more  hide   their  trail 
than  an  Irishman  can  save  himself  from  cracking 
a  head  when  he  is  invited  to  do  so.  We  galloped 
along,    without    ever    scarcely    looking   at    the 
ground.    You  know  I've  larned  something  of  the 
perarie   business   since  we  came  West,  and   that 
was  the  kind  of  trail  I  could  have   follered  wid 
both  eyes    shut  and  me   hands  handcuffed,  and, 
knowing  as  we   naaded   to   hurry,  we   put    our 
mustangs  to  their  best  paces." 
"How  was  it  that   you  didn't  overtake  us?" 
"You  had  too    much  of  a  start;  but  when  we 
struck  the  camp  in  the  mountains — that  is,  where 
Lone  Wolf  and    his   spalpeens  took  their  break- 
fast—we wasn't  a  great  way    behind  'em.    We 
swung  along  at  a  good  pace,  Soot  trying  to  time 
ourselves    so  that  we'd  strike    'em  'bout   dark, 
when   he  ca'c'lated   there'd  be  a  good  chance  to 
work  in  on  'em." 
"How  was  it  you  failed?'' 
"We'd  worked  that  thing  as  nice  as  anything 


238  IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY. 

you  ever  heard  tell  on,  if  Lone  Wolf  hadn't 
played  a  trick  on  us.  We  had  n't  gone  far  on  the 
trail  among  the  mountains,  when  we  found  that 
the  spalpeens  had  separated  into  two  parties- 
three  in  one,  and  something  like  a  hundred  in 
the  other." 

"And  you  did  not  know  which  had  charge  of 
me?" 

"There  couldn't  be  any  sartinty  about  it,  and 
the  best  we  could  do  was  to  make  a  guess.  Soot 
got  off  his  mustang  and  crawled  round  on  his 
hands  and  knees,  running  his  fingers  over  the 
ground,  and  looking  down  as  careful  like  as  me 
mither  used  to  do  with  my  head  when  she  ob- 
sarved  me  scratching  it  more  industrious  than 
usual.  He  didn't  say  much,  and  arter  a  time  he 
came  back  to  where  his  mustang  was  waitin', 
and,  leanin'  agin  the  beast,  looked  up  in  my 
face,  and  axed  me  which  party  I  thought  you 
was  in.  I  said  the  thray,  of  course,  and  that 
was  the  rason  why  they  had  gone  off  by  them- 
selves." 

"You  were  right,  then,  of  course." 

"Yes,  and  when  I  answered,  Soot,  he  just 
laughed  kind  o'  soft  like,  and  said  that  that  was 
the  very  rason  why  he  did  not  believe  you  was 


IX  THE   I'ECOS  COUNTRY.  239 

with  the  thray.  He  remarked  that  Lone  Wolf 
was  a  mighty  sharp  old  spalpeen.  He  knowed 
that  Soot  would  be  coming  on  his  trail,  and  he 
divided  up  his  party  so  as  to  bother  him.  Any- 
body would  be  apt  to  think  just  the  same  as  I 
did— that  the  boy  would  be  sent  to  the  Injun 
town  in  charge  of  the  little  party,  while  the 
others  went  on  to  hatch  up  some  deviltry.  Lone 
Wolf  knowed  enough  to  do  that,  and  he  had 
therefore  kept  the  laddy  with  the  big  company, 
maaning  that  his  old  friend,  the  scout,  should 
go  on  a  fool's  errand. 

"That's  the  way  Soot  rasoned,  you  see,  and 
that's  where  he  missed  it  altogether.  He  was  n't 
ready  for  both  of  us  to  take  the  one  trail,  so  it 
was  agreed  that  we  should  also  divide  into  two 
parties — he  going  after  the  big  company  and  I 
after  the  small  one,  he  figuring  out  that,  by  so 
doing,  he  would  get  all  the  heavy  work  to  do, 
and  I  wouldn't  any,  and  there  is  where  he  missed 
it  bad.  There  wasn't  any  way  that  we  could 
fix  it  so  that  we  could  come  together  again,  so 
the  understanding  was  that  each  was  to  go  on 
his  own  hook,  and  get  back  to  New  Bosting  the 
best  way  we  could,  and  if  there  wasn't  any  New 
Bosting  to  go  to,  why,  we  was  to  keep  on  till 


240  IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY. 

we  reached  Fort  Severn,  which,  you  know,  is 
about  fifty  miles  bey  ant. 

"You  understand,  I  was  just  as  sartiii'  that  I 
was  on  your  trail  as  Soot  was  that  he  was 
gainin'  on  ye;  so  we  both  worked  our  purtiest. 
I've  been  studyin'  up  this  trailiti'  business  ever 
since  we  struck  this  side  of  the  Mississippi,  and 
I'd  calculated  that  I'd  larned  something  'bout 
such  things.  I  belave  I  could  hang  to  the  tracks 
of  them  three  horsemen  till  I  cotched  up  to  'em, 
and  nothing  could  throw  me  off;  but  it  wasn't 
long  before  I  begun  to  get  things  mixed.  The 
trail  bothered  me,  and  at  last  I  was  stunned  al- 
together. I  begun  to  think  that  maybe  Soot  was 
right,  after  all,  and  the  best  thing  I  could  do 
was  to  turn  round  and  cut  for  home ;  but  I  kept 
the  thing  up  till  I  struck  a  trail  that  led  up  into 
the  mountains,  vhich  I  concluded  was  made  by 
one  of  the  spalpeens  in  toting  you  off  on  his 
shoulders.  That  looked,  too,  as  if  the  Ingin'  set- 
tlement was  somewhere  not  far  off,  and  I  begun 
to  think  ag'in  that  Soot  was  wrong  and  I  right. 
I  kept  the  thing  up  till  night,  when  I  had  n't  dis- 
kivered  the  first  sign,  and  not  only  that,  but  had 
lost  the  trail,  and  gone  astray  myself." 

"Just  as  I  did,"  Fred  observed. 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

A  WELCOME  VISITOR. 

LONELY  as  Fred  Munson  felt  in  that  dismal 
cavern,  he  preferred  the  solitude  to  the  compan- 
ionship of  an  Apache  Indian,  and,  fearful  of  dis- 
covery, he  crouched  down  to  -wait  until  he  should 
move  away.  His  involuntary  visitor  dropped 
within  a  few  feet  of  where  he  was  hiding,  and 
Fred  tried  to  hold  his  breath  for  fear  he  might 
be  detected ;  but  the  fellow  quietly  rose  and  gave 
expression  to  his  sentiments. 

"Begorrah,  if  I  haven't  fell  through  into  the 
cellar,  as  me  grandmither  did  when  she  danced 
down  the  whole  party,  and  landed  on  the  bot- 
tom, and  kept  up  the  jig  without  a  break,  keep- 
ing time  with  the  one-eyed  fiddler  above." 

Fred  could  scarcely  believe  the  evidence  of  his 
own  senses.  That  was  the  voice  of  his  old 
friend,  Mickey  O'Rooney,  or  else  he  was  more 
mistaken  than  he  had  ever  been  in  his  life.  But 
whatever  doubts  might  have  lingered  with  him 

225 


226  IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY. 

\vere  removed  by  the  words    that   immediately 
followed. 

"It  beats  the  blazes  where  that  young  spal- 
peen can  be  kaping  himself.  Me  and  Misther 
Simpson  have  been  on  the  hunt  for  two  days 
and  more,  and  now  when  I  got  on  his  trail,  and 
found  where  he'd  crawled  into  the  bushes,  and  I 
tried  to  do  the  same,  I  crawled  into  the  biggest 

cellar  in  the  whole  world,  and  I  can't  find  the 

.  ** 
stairs  to  walk  out  again " 

"  Helloa,  Mickey !  Is  that  you,  my  old  friend  ?  " 
called  out  the  overjoyed  lad,  springing  forward, 
throwing  his  arms  about  him,  and  breaking  in 
most  effectually  upon  his  meditations. 

The  Irishman  was  mystified  for  a  moment,  but 
he  recognized  the  voice,  reached  down,  and 
placed  his  arms  in  turn  about  the  lad. 

"Begorrah,  if  this  ain't  the  greatest  surprise 
of  me  life,  as  Mr.  O'Spangarkoghomagh  re- 
marked when  I  called  and  paid  him  a  little 
balance  that  I  owed  him.  I've  had  a  hard  hunt 
for  you,  and  had  about  guv  you  up  when  I  came 
down  on  you  in-  this  shtyle.  Freddy,  me  boy,  I 
crave  the  privilege  of  axing  ye  a  question." 

"Ask  me  a  thousand,  if  you  want,"  replied  the 
boy,  dancing  about  with  delight. 


IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY.  227 

"Are  ye  sure  that  it's  yoursilf  and  nobody 
else?  I  don't  want  to  make  a  mistake  that'll 
cause  me  mortification,  and  ye  must  answer 
carefully." 

"I'm  sure  it  is  I,  Fred  Munson." 

"Whoop!  hurrah!"  shouted  Mickey,  leaping 
several  feet  in  the  air,  and,  as  he  came  down, 
striking  at  once  into  the  Tipperary  jig. 

The  overjoyed  fellow  kept  it  up  for  several 
minutes,  making  the  cold,  moist  sand  fly  in 
every  direction.  He  terminated  the  performance 
by  a  higher  leap  than  ever,  and  a  regular 
Comanche  war-whoop.  Having  vented  his  over- 
flowing spirits  in  this  fashion,  the  Irishman  was 
ready  to  come  down  to  .something  like  more 
sober  common  sense.  Reaching  out,  he  took  the 
hand  of  Fred,  saying  as  he  did  so : 

"Let  me  kaap  hold  of  your  flipper,  so  that  I 
can  prevint  your  drifting  away.  Now  tell  me, 
my  laddy,  how  did  you  get  here?" 

"I  come  down  the  same  way  that  you  did." 

"Through  the  skylight  up  there?  It's  a  handy 
way  of  going  down-stairs,  the  only  trouble  being 
that  it's  sometimes  inconvanient  to  stop  so  sud- 
dint  like.  Didn't  you  obsarve  the  opening  till 
you  stepped  into  it?" 


226  IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY. 

Were  removed  by  the  words   that   immediately 
followed. 

"It  beats  the  blazes  where  that  young  spal- 
peen can  be  kaping  himself.  Me  and  Misther 
Simpson  have  been  on  the  hunt  for  two  da}'s 
and  more,  and  now  when  I  got  on  his  trail,  and 
found  where  he'd  crawled  into  the  bushes,  and  I 
tried  to  do  the  same,  I  crawled  into  the  biggest 

cellar  in  the  whole  world,  and  I  can't  find  the 

t  m 
stairs  to  walk  out  again " 

"  Helloa,  Mickey !  Is  that  you,  my  old  friend  ?  " 
called  out  the  overjoyed  lad,  springing  forward, 
throwing  his  arms  about  him,  and  breaking  in 
most  effectually  upon  his  meditations. 

The  Irishman  was  mystified  for  a  moment,  but 
he  recognized  the  voice,  reached  down,  and 
placed  his  arms  in  turn  about  the  lad. 

"Begorrah,  if  this  ain't  the  greatest  surprise 
of  me  life,  as  Mr.  O'Spangarkoghomagh  re- 
marked when  I  called  and  paid  him  a  little 
balance  that  I  owed  him.  I've  had  a  hard  hunt 
for  you,  and  had  about  guv  you  up  when  I  came 
down  on  you  in-  this  shtyle.  Freddy,  me  boy,  I 
crave  the  privilege  of  axing  ye  a  question." 

"Ask  me  a  thousand,  if  you  want,"  replied  the 
boy,  dancing  about  with  delight. 


IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY.  227 

"Are  ye  sure  that  it's  yoursilf  and  nobody 
else?  I  don't  want  to  make  a  mistake  that'll 
cause  me  mortification,  and  ye  must  answer 
carefully." 

"I'm  sure  it  is  I,  Fred  Munson." 

"Whoop!  hurrah!"  shouted  Mickey,  leaping 
several  feet  in  the  air,  and,  as  he  came  down, 
striking  at  once  into  the  Tipperary  jig. 

The  overjoyed  fellow  kept  it  up  for  several 
minutes,  making  the  cold,  moist  sand  fly  in 
every  direction.  He  terminated  the  performance 
by  a  higher  leap  than  ever,  and  a  regular 
Comanche  war-whoop.  Having  vented  his  over- 
flowing spirits  in  this  fashion,  the  Irishman  was 
ready  to  come  down  to  .something  like  more 
sober  common  sense.  Reaching  out,  he  took  the 
hand  of  Fred,  saying  as  he  did  so : 

"Let  me  kaap  hold  of  your  flipper,  so  that  I 
can  prevint  your  drifting  away.  Now  tell  me, 
my  laddy,  how  did  you  get  here?" 

"I  come  down  the  same  way  that  you  did." 

"Through  the  skylight  up  there?  It's  a  handy 
way  of  going  down-stairs,  the  only  trouble  being 
that  it's  sometimes  inconvanient  to  stop  so  sud- 
dint  like.  Didn't  you  obsarve  the  opening  till 
you  stepped  into  it?" 


228  IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY. 

"I  didn't  see  it  then.  I  was  near  it,  asleep, 
and  when  I  woke  up  in  the  night  I  crawled  in 
under  the  bushes  to  shelter  myself,  when  I  went 
through  into  the  cave.  How  was  it  you  fol- 
lowed?" 

"I  was  sarching  for  ye,  as  I've  been  doing  for 
the  last  two  days  and  more.  I  obsarved  the 
hole,  for  I  had  the  daylight  to  help  me,  and  I 
crawled  up  to  take  a  paap  down  to  see  who 
lived  there,  when  I  must  have  gone  too  fur,  as 
me  uncle  obsarved  after  he  had  been  hung  in  a 
joke,  and  the  ground  crumbled  beneath  me,  and 
I  slid  in.  But  let  me  ax  you  again,  are  ye  much 
acquainted  in  these  parts?  You  know  I'm  a 
stranger." 

"I  never  was  here  before.  I've  looked  around 
all  I  can,  but  haven't  been  able  to  find  hove  big 
the  cave  is.  There's  a  small  waterfall,  and  the 
stream  comes  in  and  goes  out  somewhere,  and 
there  is  one  rent,  at  least,  so  deep  that  I  don't 
believe  it  has  any  bottom.  I've  learned  that 
much,  and  that's  all." 

"That's  considerable  for  a  laddy  like  you.  Are 
you  hungry?" 

"You'd  better  believe  I  am." 

"Why  had  I  better  belave  it?"  asked  Mickey, 


IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY.  229 

with  an  assumption  of  gravity  that  it  was  im- 
possible for  him  to  feel.  If  ye  give  me  your  word 
of  honor,  I'll  belave  you,  because  I've  been  hun- 
gry myself,  and  know  how  it  goes.  I  have 
some  lunch  wid  me,  and  if  ye  don't  faal  above 
ating  with  common  folks,  we'll  sup  together." 

"I  am  so  glad,"  responded  Fred,  who  was 
indeed  in  need  of  something  substantial.  "I  feel 
weak  and  hollow." 

"Ye  shall  have  your  fill;  take  the  word  of  an 
Irishman  for  that.  Would  you  like  to  smoke?" 

"You  know  I  never  smoke,  Mickey." 

"I  didn't  ax  ye  that  question,  but  if  ye  doesn't 
feel  inclined  to  do  the  same,  I'll  indulge  myself  a 
little." 

The  speaker  had  been  preparing  his  pipe  and 
tobacco  while  they  were  talking,  and,  as  he 
uttered  the  last  words,  he  twitched  the  match 
against  the  bowl,  and  immediately  began  draw- 
ing at  it. 

As  the  volumes  of  smoke  issuing  from  his 
mouth  showed  that  the  flame  had  done  its  duty, 
he  held  the  match  aloft,  and  looked  down  in  the 
smiling,  upturned  face  of  the  lad,  scrutinizing  the 
handsome  countenance,  as  long  as  the  tiny  bit 
of  pine  held  out. 


230  IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY. 

"Yes,  it's  your  own  lovely  self,  as  Barney  Me- 
Dougan's  wife  obsarved,  when  he  came  home 
drunk,  with  one  eye  punched  out  and  his  head 
cracked.  Do  ye  know  that  while  I  was  survey- 
ing your  swate  face  I  saw  something  behind 
ye?" 

"No.  What  was  it?"  demanded  Fred,  with  a 
start  and  shudder,  looking  back  in  the  darkness. 

"  Oh !  it  was  nothing  that  will  harm  ye.  I  think 
there  be  some  bits  of  wood  there  that  kin  be 
availed  of  in  the  way  of  kindling  a  fire,  and 
that's  what  I  misses  more  than  anything  else,  as 
me  mither  used  to  say  when  she  couldn't  find 
the  whisky-bottle.  Bestir  yourself,  me  laddy,  and 
assist  me  in  getting  together  some  scraps." 

The  Irishman  was  not  mistaken  in  his  suppo- 
sition. Groping  around,  they  found  quite  a 
quantity  of  sticks  and  bits  of  wood.  All  of 
these  were  dry,  and  the  best  kind  of  kindling 
stuff  that  could  be  obtained.  Mickey  was  never 
without  his  knife,  and  he  whittled  several  of 
these  until  sure  they  would  take  the  flame  from 
a  match  when  he  made  the  essay. 

The  fire  caught  readily,  and,  carefully  nursed, 
it  spread  until  it  roared  and  crackled  like  an  old- 
fashioned  camp-fire.  As  it  rose  higher  and  higher, 


IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY.  231 

and  the  heavy  gloom  was  penetrated  and  lit  up 
by  the  vivifying  rays,  Mickey  and  Fred  used 
their  eyes  to  the  best  of  their  ability. 

The  cave  seemed  to  stretch  away  into  fathom- 
less darkness  in  every  direction,  excepting  one, 
which  was  toward  the  waterfall  or  cascade. 
This  appeared  to  be  at  one  side,  instead  of  run- 
ning through  the  centre.  The  dark  walls  could 
be  seen  on  the  other  side  of  the  stream,  and  the 
gleam  and  glitter  of  the  water,  for  some  distance 
both  above  and  below  the  plunge. 

"Do  you  obsarve  anything  new?"  asked 
Mickey. 

"Nothing  more  than  what  I  told  you,"  replied 
Fred,  supposing  he  referred  to  the  extent  of  the 
cavern. 

"I  have  larned  something,"  said  the  man,  sig- 
nificantly. 

"What's  that?" 

"Somebody's  been  here  ahead  of  us." 

"How  do  you  know  that?" 

"I've  got  the  proof.  Will  you  note  that,  right 
there  before  your  eyes?" 

As  he  spoke,  he  pointed  to  the  kindling-wood, 
or  fuel,  of  which  they  had  collected  considerable, 
while  there  was  plenty  more  visible  around  them. 


232  IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY. 

Fred  was  not  sure  that  he  understood  him,  so 
he  still  looked  questioningly  toward  him. 

"Wood  doesn't  grow  in  such  places  as  this, 
no  more  than  ye  can  find  praties  sprouting  out 
of  the  side  of  a  tea  kettle;  but  then  it  might 
have  been  pitched  down  the  hole  above,  or  got 
drifted  into  it  without  anybody  helping,  if  it 
wasn't  for  the  fact  that  there's  been  a  camp- 
fire  here  before." 

"How  do  you  make  that  out,  Mickey?" 

The  Irishman  stooped  down  and  picked  up 
one  of  the  pieces  of  wood,  which  was  waiting  to 
be  thrown  upon  the  camp  fire.  Holding  it  out, 
he  showed  that  the  end  was  charred. 

"That  isn't  the  only  stick  that's  built  after  the 
same  shtyle,  showing  that  this  isn't  the  first 
camp-fire  that  was  got  up  in  these  parts.  There's 
been  gintlemen  here  before  to-day,  and  they  must 
have  had  some  way  of  coming  and  going  that 
we  haven't  diskivered  as  yet." 

There  seemed  nothing  unlikely  in  this  supposi- 
tion of  Mickey's,  who  picked  up  his  rifle  from 
where  he  had  left  it  lying  on  the  ground,  and 
stared  inquiringly  around  in  the  gloom. 

"I  wonder  whether  there  be  any  wild  ani- 
mals prowling  around  ?  " 


IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY.  233 

"I  don't  think  that  could  be;  for  there 
couldn't  many  of  them  fall  through  that  hole 
that  let  us  in,  and  if  they  did,  they  would  soon 
die." 

"That  minds  me  that  you  hinted  something 
about  feeling  the  cravings  of  hunger,  and  I  sig- 
nified to  you  that  I  had  something  for  ye  about 
my  clothes;  and  so  I  have,  if  it  isn't  lost." 

As  he  spoke,  he  drew  from  beneath  his  waist- 
coat a  package,  carefully  wrapped  about  with 
an  ordinary  newspaper.  Gently  drawing  the  cov- 
ering aside,  he  displayed  a  half-dozen  pieces  of 
deer-meat,  cooked  to  a  turn. 

"Will  ye  take  some?"  he  asked,  handing  one 
to  Fred,  who  could  scarcely  conceal  his  craving 
eagerness,  as  he  began  masticating  it. 

"How  comes  it  that  you  have  that  by  you?" 

"I  ginerally  goes  prepared  for  the  most  desprit 
emargencies,  as  me  mither  used  to  remark  when 
she  stowed  the  whisky-bottle  away  wid  the 
lunch  she  was  takin'  with  her.  It  was  about 
the  middle  of  yisterday  afternoon  that  I  fetched 
down  a  deer  that  was  browsing  on  the  bank  of 
a  small  stream  that  I  raiched,  and,  as  a  matter 
of  coorse,  I  made  my  dinner  on  him.  I  tried  to 
lay  in  enough  stock  to  last  me  for  a  week — that 


234  IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY. 

is,  under  my  waistband — but  I  hadn't  the  room; 
so  I  sliced  up  several  pieces,  rather  overcooked 
'em,  so  as  to  make  'em  handy  to  carry,  and 
then  wrapped  'em  up  in  the  paper." 

"It's  a  common-sense  arrangement,"  added 
Mickey.  "I  had  the  time  and  the  chance  to  do 
it,  and  it  was  likely  to  happen  that,  when  I 
wanted  the  next  meal,  I  wouldn't  have  the  same 
opportunity,  remembering  which  I  did  as  I  said, 
and  the  result  is,  I've  brought  your  dinner  to 
you." 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

A  SUBTERRANEAN  CAMP-FIRE. 

THERE  is  no  sauce  like  hunger,  and  after  Fred 
Munson's  experience  of  partial  starvation,  and 
nausea  from  the  wild  berries  which  he  had  eaten, 
the  venison  was  as  luscious  as  could  be.  It 
seemed  to  him  that  he  had  never  tasted  of  any- 
thing he  could  compare  to  it. 

"Fred,  me  laddy,  tell  me  all  that  has  happened 
to  you  since  -we  met — not  that,  aither,  but  since 
Lone  Wolf  snapped  you  up  on  his  mustang,  and 
ran  away  wid  you.  I  wasn't  about  the  city 
when  the  Apaches  made  their  call,  being  off  on  a 
hunt,  as  you  will  remember,  so  I  didn't  see  all 
the  sport,  but  I  heard  the  same  from  Misther 
Simpson." 

Thus  invited,  the  boy  went  over  the  narration, 
already  known,  giving  the  full  particulars  of  his 
adventures,  from  the  morning  he  opened  his  eyes 
and  found  himself  in  the  camp  of  the  Apaches  in 
the  mountains,  to  the  hour  when  he  slipped 

235 


236  IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY. 

through  from  the  upper  earth  into  the  cave  be- 
low. Mickey  listened  with  great  interest,  fre- 
quently interrupting  and  expressing  his  surprise 
and  gratitude  at  the  good  fortune  which  seemed 
to  succeed  bad  fortune  in  every  case. 

"You  sometimes  read  of  laddies  like  you  get- 
tin  out  of  the  claws  of  these  spalpeens,  but  you 
don't  often  see  it,  though  you've  been  lucky 
enough  to  get  out." 

"Now,  Mickey,  tell  me  how  it  was  that  you 
came  to  get  on  my  track." 

"Well,  you  see,  I  got  back  to  New  Bosting 
shortly  after  the  rumpus.  I  would  have  been  in 
time  enough  to  have  had  a  hand  in  the  wind-up, 
if  it  had  n't  been  that  I  got  into  a  little  circus  of 
my  own.  Me  and  a  couple  of  Apaches  tried  the 
game  of  cracking  each  other's  heads,  that  was 
spun  out  longer  than  we  meant,  and  so,  as  I 
was  obsarving,  when  I  rode  into  town,  the  fun 
was  all  over.  I  found  Misther  Simpson  just  get- 
tin'  ready  to  take  your  trail,  and  he  axed  me  to 
do  the  same,  and  I  was  mighty  glad  to  do  it.  I 
was  desirous  of  bringing  along  your  horse  Hur- 
ricane, for  you  to  ride  when  we  should  get  you, 
but  Soot  wouldn't  hear  of  it.  He  said  the  horse 
would  only  be  a  bother,  and  if  we  should  lav 


IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY.  237 

hands  onto  you,  either  of  our  horses  was  strong 
enough  to  take  you,  so  we  left  the  crature  be- 
hind." 

"Did  you  have  any  trouble   in  following  us?" 
"Not  at  first;  a  hundred  red  spalpeens   riding 
over  the  prairie  can't  any  more  hide   their  trail 
than  an  Irishman  can  save  himself  from  cracking 
a  head  when  he  is  invited  to  do  so.  We  galloped 
along,    without    ever    scarcely    looking   at    the 
ground.    You  know  I've  larned  something  of  the 
perarie    business    since  we  came  West,  and    that 
was  the  kind  of  trail  I  could  have   follered  wid 
both  eyes   shut  and  me   hands  handcuffed,  and, 
knowing  as  we   naaded   to   hurry,  we   put    our 
mustangs  to  their  best  paces." 
"How  was  it  that   you  didn't  overtake  us?" 
"You  had  too   much  of  a  start;  but  when  we 
struck  the  camp  in  the  mountains — that  is,  where 
Lone  Wolf  and    his    spalpeens  took  their  break- 
fast— we  wasn't  a  great  way    behind  'em.    We 
swung  along  at  a  good  pace,  Soot  trying  to  time 
ourselves    so  that  we'd  strike    'em  'bout   dark, 
when   he  ca'c'lated   there'd  be  a  good  chance  to 
work  in  on  'em." 
"How  was  it  you  failed?'' 
"We'd  worked  that  thing  as  nice  as  anything 


238  IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY. 

you  ever  heard  tell  on,  if  Lone  Wolf  hadn't 
played  a  trick  on  us.  We  had  n't  gone  far  on  the 
trail  among  the  mountains,  when  -we  found  that 
the  spalpeens  had  separated  into  two  parties — 
three  in  one,  and  something  like  a  hundred  in 
the  other." 

"And  you  did  not  know  which  had  charge  of 
me?" 

"There  couldn't  be  any  sartinty  about  it,  and 
the  best  we  could  do  was  to  make  a  guess.  Soot 
got  off  his  mustang  and  crawled  round  on  his 
hands  and  knees,  running  his  fingers  over  the 
ground,  and  looking  down  as  careful  like  as  me 
mither  used  to  do  with  my  head  when  she  ob- 
sarved  me  scratching  it  more  industrious  than 
usual.  He  didn't  say  much,  and  arter  a  time  he 
came  back  to  where  his  mustang  was  waitin', 
and,  leanin'  agin  the  beast,  looked  up  in  my 
face,  and  axed  me  which  party  I  thought  you 
was  in.  I  said  the  thray,  of  course,  and  that 
was  the  rason  why  they  had  gone  off  by  them- 
selves." 

"You  were  right,  then,  of  course." 

"Yes,  and  when  I  answered,  Soot,  he  just 
laughed  kind  o'  soft  like,  and  said  that  that  was 
the  very  rason  why  he  did  not  believe  you  was 


IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY.  239 

with  the  thray.  He  remarked  that  Lone  Wolf 
was  a  mighty  sharp  old  spalpeen.  He  knowed 
that  Soot  would  be  coming  on  his  trail,  and  he 
divided  up  his  party  so  as  to  bother  him.  Any- 
body would  be  apt  to  think  just  the  same  as  I 
did — that  the  boy  would  be  sent  to  the  Injun 
town  in  charge  of  the  little  party,  while  the 
others  went  on  to  hatch  up  some  deviltry.  Lone 
Wolf  knowed  enough  to  do  that,  and  he  had 
therefore  kept  the  laddy  with  the  big  company, 
maaning  that  his  old  friend,  the  scout,  should 
go  on  a  fool's  errand. 

"That's  the  way  Soot  rasoned,  you  see,  and 
that's  where  he  missed  it  altogether.  He  wasn't 
ready  for  both  of  us  to  take  the  one  trail,  so  it 
was  agreed  that  we  should  also  divide  into  two 
parties — he  going  after  the  big  company  and  I 
alter  the  small  one,  he  figuring  out  that,  by  so 
doing,  he  would  get  all  the  heavy  -work  to  do, 
and  I  wouldn't  any,  and  there  is  where  he  missed 
it  bad.  There  wasn't  any  way  that  we  could 
fix  it  so  that  we  could  come  together  again,  so 
the  understanding  was  that  each  was  to  go  on 
his  own  hook,  and  get  back  to  New  Bosting  the 
best  way  we  could,  and  if  there  wasn't  any  New 
Bosting  to  go  to,  why,  we  was  to  keep  on  till 


240  IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY. 

* 

we  reached  Fort  Severn,  which,  you  know,  is 
about  fifty  miles  beyant. 

"You  understand,  I  was  just  as  sartin'  that  I 
was  on  your  trail  as  Soot  was  that  he  was 
gainin'  on  ye;  so  we  both  worked  our  purtiest. 
I've  been  studyin'  up  this  trailin'  business  ever 
since  we  struck  this  side  of  the  Mississippi,  and 
I'd  calculated  that  I'd  larned  something  'bout 
such  things.  I  belave  I  could  hang  to  the  tracks 
of  them  three  horsemen  till  I  cotched  up  to  'em, 
and  nothing  could  throw  me  off;  but  it  wasn't 
long  before  I  begun  to  get  things  mixed.  The 
trail  bothered  me,  and  at  last  I  was  stunned  al- 
together. I  begun  to  think  that  maybe  Soot  was 
right,  after  all,  and  the  best  thing  I  could  do 
was  to  turn  round  and  cut  for  home ;  but  I  kept 
the  thing  up  till  I  struck  a  trail  that  led  up  into 
the  mountains,  vhich  I  concluded  was  made  by 
one  of  the  spalpeens  in  toting  you  off  on  his 
shoulders.  That  looked,  too,  as  if  the  Ingin'  set- 
tlement was  somewhere  not  far  off,  and  I  begun 
to  think  ag'in  that  Soot  was  wrong  and  I  right. 
I  kept  the  thing  up  till  night,  when  I  had  n't  dis- 
kivered  the  first  sign,  and  not  only  that,  but  had 
lost  the  trail,  and  gone  astray  myself." 

"Just  as  I  did,"  Fred  observed. 


IN   THE   PECOS  COUNTRY.  257 

•way,  and  kept  it  up  all  the  time  we've  been  fool- 
ing round  here.  If  ye  entertain  any  doubt,  I'll 
prove  it.  Let  me  have  your  torch." 

Taking  it  from  the  lad's  trembling  hand,  he 
walked  to  the  figure,  stooped  down,  and,  taking 
it  by  the  shoulder,  turned  it  over  upon  its  back. 
The  result  was  rather  startling  even  to  such  a 
brave  man  as  Mickey.  It  was  not  a  dead  man 
which  the  two  looked  down  upon,  but  practi- 
cally a  skeleton — the  remains  of  an  individual, 
who,  perhaps,  had  been  dead  for  years.  Some 
strange  property  of  the  air  had  dessicated  the 
flesh,  leaving  the  face  bare  and  staring,  while  the 
garments  seemed  scarcely  the  worse  for  their 
long  exposure. 

Another  noticeable  feature  was  the  fact  that 
the  clothing  of  the  remains  showed  that  not  only 
was  he  a  white  man,  but  also  that  he  was  not 
a  hunter  or  frontier  character,  such  as  were  about 
the  only  ones  found  in  that  section  of  the  coun- 
try. The  coat,  vest,  and  trousers  were  of  fine 
dark  cloth,  and  the  boots  were  of  thin,  superior 
leather.  The  cap  was  gone.  It  was  just  such  a 
dress  as  is  encountered  every  day  in  our  public 
streets. 

Mickey  O'Rooney  contemplated  the  figure  for  a 


258  IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY. 

time  in  silence.  He  was  surprised  and  puzzled. 
Where  could  this  person  have  come  from  ?  There 
was  nothing  about  his  dress  to  show  that  he  be- 
longed to  the  military  service,  else  it  might  have 
been  supposed  that  he  was  some  officer  who  had 
wandered  away  from  his  post,  and  had  been 
caught  in  the  same  fashion  as  had  the  man  and 
boy. 

"Are  there  any  more  around  here?"  asked 
Mickey,  in  a  subdued  tone,  peering  off  into  the 
gloom. 

Fred  passed  slowly  round  in  a  circle,  gradu- 
ally widening  out,  until  he  had  passed  over  quite 
an  area,  but  without  discovering  anything  fur- 
ther. 

"There  isn't  any  one  else  near  us.  If  there  is, 
he  is  in  some  other  part  of  the  cave." 

"How  came  ye  to  find  this  fellow?" 

"I  was  walking  along,  never  thinking  of  any- 
thing of  the  kind,  when  I  came  near  stepping 
upon  the  body.  I  was  never  more  scared  in  my 
life." 

"That's  the  way  wid  some  of  yees — ye're  more 
affrighted  at  a  dead  man  than  a  live  one.  Let's 
see  whether  he  has  left  anything  that  ye  can 
identify  him  by." 


IX  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY.  259 

Upon  examining  further,  a  silver-mounted  re- 
volver was  found  beneath  the  body.  It  was 
untarnished,  and  seemingly  as  good  as  the  day 
it  was  completed.  When  Mickey  came  to  look 
at  it  more  closely,  he  found  that  only  one  bar- 
rel had  been  discharged,  all  the  others  being 
loaded. 

This  fact  aroused  a  suspicion,  and,  looking 
again  at  the  head,  a  round  hole,  such  as  would 
have  been  made  only  by  a  bullet,  was  found  in  the 
very  centre  of  the  forehead.  There  could  be  but 
little  doubt,  then,  that  this  man,  whoever  he 
was,  had  wandered  about  the  cavern  until  fam- 
ished, and,  despairing  of  any  escape,  had  delib- 
erately sent  himself  out  of  the  world  by  means 
of  the  weapon  at  his  command.  But  who  was 
he? 

Laying  the  handsome  pistol  aside,  Mickey 
continued  the  search,  anxious  to  find  something 
that  would  throw  light  upon  the  history  of  the 
man.  It  was  probable  that  he  had  a  rifle — but 
it  was  not  to  be  found,  and,  perhaps,  had  van- 
ished, as  had  that  of  Fred  Munson.  It  was 
more  likely  that  something  would  be  found  in 
his  pockets  that  would  throw  some  light  upon 


260  IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY. 

the  question;  and  the  Irishman,  having  under- 
taken the  job,  went  through  it  to  the  end. 

It  was  not  the  pleasantest  occupation  in  the 
world  to  ransack  the  clothing  of  a  skeleton,  and 
he  who  was  doing  it  could  not  help  reflecting 
as  he  did  so  that  it  looked  very  much  like  a  des- 
ecration and  a  robbing  of  the  dead.  To  his 
great  disappointment,  however,  he  failed  to  dis- 
cover anything  which  would  give  the  slightest 
clue.  It  looked  as  if  the  man  had  purposely  de- 
stroyed all  such  articles  before  destroying  him- 
self, and,  after  a  thorough  search,  Mickey  was 
compelled  to  give  up  the  hunt. 

Five  chambers  of  the  revolver,  as  has  been 
said,  were  still  loaded,  and,  after  replacing  the 
caps,  the  new  owner  was  confident  they  were 
good  for  that  number  of  shots. 

"Here,"  said  he,  handing  the  weapon  to  the 
boy;  "your  rifle  is  gone,  and  you  may  as  well 
take  charge  of  this.  It  may  come  as  handy  as 
a  shillelah  in  a  scrimmage,  so  ye  does  hold  on 
to  the  same." 

Fred  took  it  rather  gingerly,  for  he  did  not 
fancy  the  idea  of  going  off  with  property  taken 
from  a  dead  man,  but  he  suffered  his  friend  to 
pursuade  him,  and  the  arrangement  was  made. 


IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY.  261 

In  the  belief  that  there  might  be  others  some- 
where around,  Mickey  spent  an  hour  or  two 
longer  in  an  exploration  of  the  cave,  with  the 
single  purpose  of  looking  for  bodies.  They  ap- 
proached the  ravine  in  which  Fred  had  dropped 
his  gun.  The  Irishman  leaped  across,  torch  in 
hand,  and  prosecuted  his  search  along  that  side; 
but  they  were  compelled  to  give  over  after  a 
time  and  conclude  that  only  a  single  individual 
had  preceded  them  in  the  cave. 

"Where  lie  came  from  must  iver  remain  a 
mystery,"  said  Mickej'.  "He  hasn't  been  the 
kind  of  chaps  you  find  in  this  part  of  the  world ; 
but  whoever  he  was,  it  must  have  been  his  luck 
to  drop  through  the  skylight,  just  as  we  did. 
He  must  have  found  the  wood  here  and  kindled 
a  fire.  Then  he  wint  tramping  round,  looking 
for  some  place  to  find  his  way  out,  and  kept  it 
up  till  he  made  up  his  mind  it  was  no  use. 
Then  he  acted  like  a  gintleman  who  prefarred  to 
be  shot  to  starving,  and,  finding  nobody  around 
to  'tend  to  the  business,  done  it  himself." 

"Can't  we  bury  him,  Mickey?" 

"He's  buried  already." 

The  Irishman  meant  nothing  especial  in  his 
reply,  but  there  was  a  deep  significance  about 


262  IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY. 

it  which  sent  a  shudder  through  his  hearer  from 
head  to  foot.  Yes,  the  stranger  was  buried,  and 
in  the  same  grave  with  him  were  Mickey 
O'Rooney  and  Fred  Munson. 

The  speaker  saw  the  effect  his  words  had  pro- 
duced, and  attempted  to  remove  their  sting. 

"It  looks  very  much  to  me  as  if  the  man 
hadn't  done  an}rthing  but  thramp,  thramp,  with- 
out thrying  any  way  of  getting  out,  and  then 
had  keeled  over  and  give  up." 

"What  could  he  do,  Mickey?" 

"  Couldn't  he  have  jumped  into  the  stream,  and 
made  a  dive?  He  stood  a  chance  of  coming  up 
outside,  and  if  he  hadn't,  he  would  have  been  as 
well  off  as  he  is  now." 

"Is  that  what  you  mean  to  do?" 

"I  will,  before  I'd  give  up  as  he  did;  but  it's 
meself  that  thinks  there's  some  other  way  of 
finding  our  way.  Bring  me  gun  along,  and  come 
with  me!" 

Mickey  carried  the  torch,  because  he  wished  to 
use  it  himself.  He  led  the  way  back  to  where 
the  stream  disappeared  from  view,  and  there  he 
made  another  careful  examination,  his  purpose 
being  different  from  what  it  had  been  in  the  first 
place.  He  stooped  over  and  peered  at  the  dark 


IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY.  263 

walls,  noting  the  width  of  the  stream  and  the 
contour  of  the  bank,  as  well  as  the  level  of  the 
land  on  the  right.  Evidently  he  had  some  scheme 
which  he  was  considering. 

He  said  nothing,  but  spent  fully  a  half  hour  in 
his  self-imposed  task,  during  which  Fred  stood 
in  the  background,  trying  to  make  out  what  he 
was  driving  at.  He  saw  that  Mickey  was  so  in- 
tently occupied  that  he  was  scarcely  conscious  of 
the  presence  of  any  one  else,  and  he  did  not  at- 
tempt to  disturb  him.  Suddenly  the  Celt  roused 
himself  from  his  abstraction,  and,  turning  to  the 
expectant  lad,  abruptly  asked: 

"Do  you  know,  me  laddy,  that  it  is  dinner- 
time?" 

"I  feel  as  though  it  was,  but  we  have  no  means 
of  judging  the  time,  being  as  neither  of  us  carries 
a  watch." 

"Come  on,"  added  the  Irishman,  leading  in  the 
direction  of  the  camp-fire.  "I'm  sorry  I  didn't 
bring  my  watch  wid  me,  but  the  trouble  was,  I 
was  afeard  that  it  might  tire  out  my  horse,  for 
it  was  of  goodly  size.  The  last  time  it  got  out 
of  order,  it  took  a  blacksmith  in  the  owld  coun- 
try nearly  a  week  to  mend  it.  It  was  rather 
large,  but  it  would  have  been  handy.  Whenever 


264  IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY. 

we  wanted  to  cook  anything,  we  could  have  used 
the  case  for  a  stew-pan,  or  we  could  have  b'iled 
eggs  in  the  same,  and  when  we  started  our  hotel 
at  New  Boston,  it  would  have  done  for  a  gong. 
It  was  rather  tiresome  to  wind  up  nights,  as  the 
key  didn't  give  you  much  leverage,  and  if  your 
hold  happened  to  slip,  you  was  likely  to  fall 
down  and  hurt  yersilf.  But  here  we  are,  as  Jimmy 
O'Donovan  said  when  he  j'ined  his  father  and 
mother  in  jail." 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

DISCUSSIONS  AND  PLANS. 

WHEN  they  reached  the  camp-fire,  it  had  burned 
so  low  that  they  threw  on  considerable  more 
wood  before  sitting  down  to  their  lunch.  As  it 
flamed  up  and  the  cheerful  light  forced  the  op- 
pressive gloom  back  from  around  them,  both  felt 
a  corresponding  rise  in  spirits. 

"It  was  lucky  that  I  brought  along  that 
maat,"  remarked  Mickey,  as  he  produced  the  ven- 
ison, already  cooked  and  prepared  for  the  pal- 
ate. "It's  a  custom  that  Mr.  Soot  Simpson 
showed  me,  and  I  like  it  very  much.  You  note 
that  the  maat  would  be  a  great  deal  better  if 
we  had  some  salt  and  pepper,  or  if  we  could 
keep  it  a  few  days  till  it  got  tender;  but,  as 
it  is,  I  think  we'll  worry  it  down." 

"It  seems  to  me  that  I  never  tasted  anything 
better,"  responded  Fred,  "but  that,  I  suppose,  is 
because  I  become  so  hungry  before  tasting  it." 

"  Yees  are  right.  If  ye  want  to  know  how  good 
a  cup  of  water  can  taste,  go  two  days  without 

265 


IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY. 

drinking;  or  if  ye  want  to  enjoy  a  good  night's 
rest,  sit  up  for  two  nights,  and  so,  if  ye  want 
to  enjoy  a  nice  maal  of  victuals,  ye  must  fast  for 
a  day  or  two.  Now,  I  don't  naad  any  fasting, 
for  I  always  enjoyed  ating  from  the  first  pratie 
they  giv  me  to  suck  when  I  was  a  few  waaks 
old." 

"Well,  Mickey,  you've  been  pretty  well  around 
the  cave,  and  I  want  to  know  what  you  think 
of  our  chance  of  getting  out?" 

"The  face  of  the  Irishman  became  serious,  and 
he  looked  thoughtfully  into  the  fire  a  moment 
before  answering.  Disposed  as  he  was  to  view 
everything  from  the  sunshiny  side,  Mickey  was 
not  such  a  simpleton  as  to  consider  their  incar- 
ceration in  the  cave  a  matter  that  could  be 
passed  off  with  a  quirp  and  jest.  He  had  ex- 
plored the  interior  pretty  thoroughly,  and  gained 
a  correct  idea  of  their  situation,  but  as  yet  he 
saw  no  practical  -way  of  getting  out.  The  plan 
of  diving  down  the  stream,  and  trusting  to  Prov- 
idence to  come  up  on  the  outside  was  to  be  the 
last  resort. 

Mickey  did  not  propose  to  undertake  it  until 
convinced  that  no  other  scheme  was  open  to 
him.  In  going  about  the  cave,  he  struck  the 


IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY.  267 

walls  in  the  hope  of  finding  some  weak  place, 
but  they  all  gave  forth  that  dead  sound  -which 
would  have  been  heard  had  they  been  backed  up 
by  fifty  feet  of  solid  granite.  Among  the  many 
schemes  that  he  had  turned  over  in  his  mind, 
none  gave  as  little  promise  as  this,  and  he  dis- 
missed it  as  utterly  impracticable. 

He  could  conjure  no  way  of  reaching  that 
opening  above  their  heads.  He  could  not  look 
up  at  that  irregular,  jagged  opening  without 
thinking  how  easy  it  would  be  to  rescue  them, 
if  they  could  make  their  presence  known  to  some 
one  outside.  There  was  Sut  Simpson,  who  must 
have  learned  that  he  had  gone  upon  the  wrong 
trail,  and  who  had,  therefore,  turned  back  to  the 
assistance  of  his  former  comrade. 

The  latter  knew  him  to  be  a  veteran  of  the 
prairie,  one  who  could  read  signs  that  to  others 
were  like  a  sealed  book,  and  whose  long  years  of 
adventure  with  the  tribes  of  the  Southwest  had 
taught  him  all  their  tricks ;  but  whether  he  would 
be  likely  to  follow  the  two,  and  to  understand 
their  predicament,  was  a  question  which  Mickey 
could  not  answer  with  much  encouragement  to 
himself.  Still  there  was  a  possibility  of  its  being 
done,  and  now  and  then  the  Irishman  caught 


268  IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY. 

himself  looking   up    at    the   "skylight,"  with    a 
longing,  half-expectant  gaze. 

There  were  several  other  schemes  -which  he  was 
turning  over  in  his  mind,  none  of  which,  how- 
ever, had  taken  definite  shape,  and,  not  wishing 
to  discourage  his  young  friend,  he  answered  his 
question  as  best  he  could. 

"Well,  my  laddy,  we're  going  to  have  a  hard 
time  to  get  out,  but  I  think  we'll  do  it." 

"But  can  you  tell  me  how?" 

Mickey  scratched  his  head  in  his  perplexed 
way,  hardly  feeling  competent  to  come  down  to 
particulars. 

"I  can't,  exactly;  I've  a  good  many  plans  I'm 
turning  over  in  my  head,  and  some  of  them  are 
very  fine  and  grand,  and  its  hard  to  pick  out 
the  right  one." 

Fred  felt  that  he  would  like  to  hear  what 
some  of  them  were,  but  he  did  not  urge  his 
friend,  for  he  suspected  that  the  fellow  was  try- 
ing to  keep  their  courage  up. 

They  had  finished  their  meal,  and  were  sitting 
upon  the  sandy  soil,  discussing  the  situation  and 
throwing  an  occasional  longing  look  at  the 
opening  above.  They  had  taken  care  to  avoid 
getting  directly  beneath  it,  for  they  had  no  wish 


IN  THE   PECOS  COUNTRY.  269 

to  have  man  or  animal  tumble  down  upon  their 
heads.  Now  and  then  some  of  the  gravel  loos- 
ened and  rattled  down,  and  the  clear  light  that 
made  its  way  through  the  overhanging  bushes 
showed  that  the  sun  was  still  shining,  and,  no 
doubt,  several  hours  still  remained  to  them  in 
which  to  do  any  work  that  might  present  itself. 
But,  unfortunately,  nothing  remained  to  do. 

Whatever  were  the  different  schemes  which 
Mickey  was  turning  over  in  his  mind,  none  of 
them  was  ripe  enough  to  experiment  with.  As 
the  Irishman  thought  of  this  and  that,  he  de- 
cided to  make  no  special  effort  until  the  morrow. 
He  and  Fred  could  remain  where  they  were 
without  inconvenience  for  a  day  or  two  longer, 
but  it  was  necessary,  too,  that  they  should  have 
their  full  strength  of  body  and  mind  when  the 
time  should  come  to  work. 

"Sometimes  when  I  git  into  a  sore  puzzle," 
said  Mickey,  "and  so  many  beautiful  and  irri- 
tating plans  come  up  before  me  that  I  cannot 
find  it  in  my  heart  which  way  to  decide,  I  goes 
to  slape  and  drames  me  way  through  it,  right 
straight  into  the  right  way." 

"Did  you  ever  find  your  path  out  of  trouble?  " 
inquired  Fred. 


270  IN   THE   PECOS   COUNTRY. 

"Very  frequently — that  is,  not  to  say  so  fre- 
quently—but on  one  or  two  important  occa- 
sions. I  mind  the  time  when  I  was  coorting 
Bridget  O'Flaherty  and  Mollie  McFizzle,  in  the 
ould  counthry.  Both  of  'em  was  fine  gals,  and 
the  trouble  was  for  me  to  decide  which  was  the 
best  as  a  helpmate  to  meself. 

"Bridget  had  red  hair  and  beautiful  freckles 
and  a  turn-up  nose,  and  she  was  so  fond  of  go- 
ing round  without  shoes  that  her  feet  spread  out 
like  boards;  Molly  was  just  as  handsome,  but 
her  beauty  was  of  another  style.  She  had  very 
little  hair  upon  her  head,  and  a  little  love-pat 
she  had  wid  an  old  beau  of  hers  caused  a  broken 
nose,  which  made  her  countenance  quite  pictur- 
esque. She  "was  also  cross-eyed,  and  when  she 
cocked  one  eye  down  at  me,  while  she  kept  a 
watch  on  the  door  wid  the  other,  there  was  a 
loveliness  about  her  which  is  not  often  saan  in 
the  famale  form." 

"And  you  couldn't  decide  which  of  these  would 
make  you  the  best  wife?" 

"Nary  a  once.  The  attraction  of  both  was 
nearly  equal." 

"  But  how  about  their  housekeeping?  I've  often 
heard  father  tell  what  a  splendid  housekeeper 


IX  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY.  271 

mother  was,  and  how  he  would  rather  have  his 
wife  a  good  housekeeper  than  beautiful." 

"But  the  trouble  was,  I  had  both.  I've  de- 
scribed you  the  charms  and  grace  of  each,  and 
when  I  add  that  both  were  elegant  housekeepers, 
ye'll  admit  that  my  dilemma  was  greater  than 
ever.  They  both  handled  the  broom  to  perfec- 
tion; they  could  knock  a  chap  clane  across  the 
cabin  and  out  of  the  window  before  ye  could 
know  what  was  coming.  Me  mither  used  to  say 
it  was  the  housekeeping  qualities  that  should  de- 
cide, and  she  told  me  to  call  upon  'em  sometime 
when  they  was  n't  expecting  me,  and  obsarve  the 
manner  in  which  they  handled  things.  Wai, 
Bridget  was  the  first  one  that  I  sneaked  in  upon. 
I  heard  a  thumping  noise  as  I  drew  near,  as 
though  something  was  tumbling  about  the  floor, 
and  when  I  peeped  through  the  door,  I  saw  that 
Bridget  and  her  mother  was  having  a  delightful 
love-pat.  They  was  banging  and  whaling  each 
other  round  the  room,  and,  as  the  old  lady  had 
her  muscle  well  up,  it  was  hard  to  tell  which 
was  coming  out  ahead.  Of  course,  my  sympa- 
thies were  with  the  lovely  Bridget,  and  I  was 
desirous  that  she  should  win — but  I  didn't  con- 
sider it  my  duty  to  interfere.  I  supposed  the  old 


272  IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY. 

lady  had  been  trying  to  impose  too  much  work 
on  Bridget,  and,  therefore,  she  had  rebelled,  and 
was  lambasting  her  for  the  same.  My  interest 
in  the  little  affair  was  so  great,  that  I  pushed 
the  door  ajar,  and  stood  with  me  mouth  and 
eyes  wide  open.  It  wasn't  long  before  I  began 
to  get  worried,  for,  from  the  way  things  looked, 
the  owld  lady  was  getting  the  upper  hand.  I 
was  thinking  I  would  have  to  sail  in  and  lend  a 
helping  hand,  when  Bridget  fetched  the  old  lady 
a  whack  that  made  her  throw  up  the  sponge. 
Wid  that  I  felt  so  proud  that  I  sung  out  a  word 
of  encouragement,  and  rushed  forward  to  em- 
brace my  angel,  but,  before  I  could  do  so,  she 
give  me  a  swipe  that  sent  me  backward  through 
the  door,  busting  it  off,  and  I  was  out  of  the 
ring. 

"The  interview  was  very  satisfactory,"  con- 
tinued Mickey,  "and  I  wint  over  to  take  a  sly 
paap  at  Molly.  As  I  drawed  near  the  little  hut 
on  the  edge  of  the  wood,  I  did  n't  hear  any  such 
noise  as  I  noticed  over  at  Bridget's  house.  All 
was  as  still  as  it  is  here  this  minute.  Me  first 
thought  was  that  they  all  had  gone  away,  but 
when  I  got  nearer,  I  noted  my  mistake.  Molly's 
mother  was  busy  sewing,  and  sitting  near  her 


IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY.  273 

was  her  charming  daughter  Molly,  leaning  back 
in  her  chair,  with  her  head  thrown  still  further 
back,  her  mouth  wide  open,  and  she  a-snoring. 
I've  no  doubt  that  she  had  become  exhausted 
from  overwork,  and  was  taking  a  little  nap. 
The  mother  looked  up  as  I  stepped  softly  in,  and 
I  axed  her,  in  an  undertone,  how  long  her  pet 
child  had  been  asleep.  She  said  between  two  or 
three  hours,  and  that  she  -would  wake  her  up,  if 
Molly  hadn't  told  her  before  closing  her  eyes 
that  if  she  dared  to  disturb  her  before  her  nap 
was  finished,  she'd  break  the  old  lady's  head. 
Knowing  the  delicate  relations  that  existed  be- 
twaan  us,  she  suggested  that  I  should  arouse  her, 
she  being  afraid  that  she  -would  sleep  so  long 
that  she  -would  starve  to  death  before  she  awoke. 
I  wanted  to  come  at  the  matter  gintly,  so  I  took 
a  straw  and  tickled  Molly's  nose.  She  snorted  a 
little,  and  rubbed  it  with  her  fist,  but  didn't 
open  her  eyes.  I'd  undertook  the  job,  however, 
and  I  was  bound  to  do  it,  or  die.  So  I  -wiggled 
at  her  nostrils,  and  she  made  a  yell  and  a  jump, 
and  was  wide  awake.  I  don't  mind  me  all  that 
took  place  just  then.  Things  was  kind  of  con- 
fused, and,  when  Molly  lit  on  me,  I  thought  the 
cabin  had  tumbled  in.  My  senses  came  back 

18 


274  IN   THE   PECOS   COUNTRY. 

arter  a  while,  and  when  I  got  my  head  ban- 
daged up,  I  wint  home  to  dream  over  it." 

"And  what  was  your  dream?"  asked  Fred. 

"In  my  slumbers,  I  saw  both  my  loves  going 
for  each  other  like  a  couple  of  Kilkenny  cats, 
until  there  was  nothing  of  aither  lift.  I  took 
that  as  a  sign  that  naither  of  'em  was  interested 
for  me,  and  so  I  give  them  up,  sneaking  off  and 
sailing  for  Ameriky  before  they  learned  my  intin- 
tions." 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

AN  EXCHANGE  OF  SHOTS. 

MICKEY  proposed  to  act  upon  his  own  sugges- 
tion, which  was  to  go  to  sleep  as  soon  as  the 
day  ended  and  discuss  the  many  different  plans 
during  his  .slumbers.  He  had  a  strong  hope  that 
the  right  one  could  be  hit  upon  by  this  method. 
Somehow  or  other,  his  thoughts  were  fixed  upon 
the  stream,  where  it  disappeared  under  the  rocks, 
and,  leaving  Fred  by  the  camp-fire,  he  relit  his 
torch  and  went  off  to  make  another  survey. 

The  lad  watched  the  star-like  point  of  light 
flickering  in  the  gloom  as  his  friend  moved  along, 
holding  the  torch  over  his  head.  It  seemed  to 
the  watcher  that  when  it  paused  they  were  sep- 
arated by  nearly  a  half  mile.  The  light  had  an 
odd  way  of  vanishing  and  remaining  invisible  for 
several  minutes  that  made  him  think  that  some 
accident  had  befallen  the  bearer,  or  that  the  light 
had  gone  out  altogether;  but  after  a  time  it 
would  reappear,  dancing  about  in  a  way  to  show 
that  the  bearer  was  not  idle  in  his  researches. 

Mickey   O'Rooney   was   indeed    active.     After 

275 


276  IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY. 

making  his  way  to  the  point  he  was  seeking,  he 
shied  off  to  the  right,  and  approached  the  chasm, 
down  which  Fred  had  lost  his  rifle.  As  he  stood 
on  the  edge  of  the  rent  in  the  fathomless  dark- 
ness, he  loosened  a  boulder  with  his  foot,  and  as 
it  toppled  over,  listened  for  the  result.  The  way 
was  so  narrow  that  it  bounded  like  a  ball  from 
side  to  side,  and  the  Irishman  heard  it  as  it 
went  lower  and  lower,  until  at  last  the  strained 
ear  could  detect  nothing  more.  There  was  no 
sound  that  came  to  him  to  show  that  it  had 
reached  the  bottom. 

"I  s'pose  it's  going  yet,"  reflected  Mickey,  after 
listening  several  minutes,  "and  no  doubt  it  will 
kaap  on  till  it  comes  out  somewhere  in  Chiny, 
which  I've  been  told  is  on  t'other  side  of  the 
world.  Now,  why  couldn't  we  do  the  same?" 
he  asked  himself,  with  a  sharp  turn  of  the  voice. 
"If  that  stone  is  on  its  way  to  Chiny,  why  can't 
we  folly  on  after  it  ?  If  we  can't  reach  the  crust 
of  the  world  at  this  point,  what's  to  hinder  our 
going  round  by  Chiny? — that's  what  I'd  like  to 
know.  I  wonder  how  long  it  would  take  us?  I 
s'pose  we'd  get  up  pretty  good  steam,  and  go 
faster  and  faster,  so  that  we  wouldn't  be  many 
days  on  the  road. 


IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY.  277 

/ 

"But  there's  one  great  objection,"  he  added, 
scratching  his  head  and  knitting  his  brow  with 
thought.  "There's  nothing  to  stop  us  from  bounc- 
ing from  side  to  side  like  that  stone.  If  the  way 
is  rough,  we'd  be  pretty  sartin  to  get  our  breeches 
pretty  well  ripped  off  us,  and  by  the  time  we 
raiched  Chiny,  we  -wouldn't  be  in  a  condition  to 
be  presented  in  coort;  and  then,  too,  I  haven't 
enough  money  about  me  to  pay  my  way  home 
again." 

The  visionary  scheme  was  one  of  those  which 
grew  less  in  favor  the  more  he  reflected  upon  it, 
and,  after  turning  it  over  for  some  minutes 
longer,  he  was  naturally  compelled  to  abandon 
the  idea. 

"I  must  try  the  stream  agin,"  he  said,  as  he 
rose  to  his  feet  and  groped  his -way  back.  "That 
seems  to  be  the  best  door,  after  all,  though  it 
ain't  the  kind  I  hanker  after." 

He  thrust  one  end  of  the  torch  in  the  ground 
some  distance  away,  and  walked  to  the  bank 
close  to  the  great  rock  beneath  which  the  stream 
dove  and  disappeared.  Stooping  down,  he  ob- 
served the  same  dull,  white  appearance  that  had 
caught  his  eye  in  the  first  place.  Beyond  ques- 


278  IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY.  ' 

tion  this  was  caused  by  the  sunlight  striking  the 
•water  from  the  outside. 

"I  could  almost  swear  that  a  feller  wouldn't 
have  to  go  more  than  twenty  feet  before  he'd 
strike  daylight,"  mused  Mickey,  as  he  folded  his 
arms  and  looked  thoughtfully  at  the  misty  relief 
of  the  surrounding  darkness;  "and  it  wouldn't 
take  much  more  to  persuade  me  to  make  the 
dive  and  try  it." 

As  Mickey  stood  there,  contemplating  as  best 
he  could  the  darkly  flowing  stream,  and  debat- 
ing the  matter  with  himself,  he  was  on  the  very 
eve  of  making  the  attempt  fully  half  a  dozen 
times.  It  seemed  to  him  that  he  could  not  fail, 
and  yet  there  was  something  in  the  project 
\vhich  held  him  back. 

The  stream  at  that  point  flowed  quite  rapidly, 
and  the  strongest  swimmer,  after  venturing  a 
few  feet  under  water,  would  be  utterly  unable  to 
return.  Once  started,  there  would  be  no  turn- 
ing back,  so  he  concluded  not  to  make  the  de- 
cisive trial  just  yet. 

"The  day  is  pretty  nearly  ended,  and  I  will 
drame  over  it.  I  told  me  laddy  that  that  was 
my  favorite  way  of  getting  out  of  such  a  scrape, 
and  I'll  thry  it.  If  there's  no  plan  that  presints 


IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY.  279 

itself  by  to-morrow,  then  I'll  thry  it  then  or  the 
day  after." 

Going  to  where  his  torch  was  still  burning  in 
the  sand,  he  drew  it  out  and  moved  back  toward 
his  old  camp-fire. 

"Well,  me  laddy,  how  have  you  made  out  dur- 
ing me  absince?  Have  you " 

He  paused  and  looked  about  him. 

"Begorrah,  but  no  laddy  is  here.  Can  it  be 
that  he  has  strayed  off,  and  started  to  Chiny  so 
as  to  head  me  off?  I  say !  Fred,  me  laddy,  have 
ye " 

"Sh!  sh!" 

And  as  the  hurried  aspirate  was  uttered,  the 
boy  came  running  silently  out  of  the  darkness, 
with  his  hand  raised  in  a  warning  way. 

"What  is  it?"  asked  Mickey,  in  amazement; 
"have  ye  found  another  dead  man?" 

"No;  he's  a  live  one!" 

"What  do  yez  mane?    Explain  yerself." 

The  lad  pointed  to  the  opening  over  their  heads, 
and  motioned  to  his  friend  not  to  draw  too  near 
the  camp-fire.  There  was  danger  in  doing  so. 

"There's  somebody  up  there,"  he  added,  "and 
they're  looking  for  us." 

"Are  ye  sure  of  that?"    asked  the  Irishman, 


280  IN  THE  PECOS   COUNTRY. 

not  a  little  excited  at  the  news.  "It  may  be  that 
Soot  Simpson  has  found  us.  Begorrah,  if  there 
isn't  any  mistake  about  it,  as  me  uncle  re- 
marked, when  he  heard  that  the  ship  with  his 
wife  on  was  lost  at  saa,  then  I'll  execute  the 
Donny brook  jig  in  the  highest  style  of  the  art. 
What  was  it  that  aroused  your  suspicion  that 
some  jintleman  was  onmannerly  enough  to  be 
paaping  down  on  us?" 

"I  was  sitting  here  watching  you,  or  rather 
your  torch,  and  all  the  time  the  gravel  kept  rat- 
tling down  faster  and  faster,  till  I  knowed  there 
was  something  more  than  usual  going  on  up 
there,  and  I  sneaked  away  from  the  fire,  where 
I  could  get  a  better  look.  I  went  right  under 
the  place,  and  was  about  to  see  something  worth 
seeing,  when  some  dirt  dropped  plump  into  my 
eye,  and  I  couldn't  see  anything  for  a  while. 
After  I  had  rubbed  the  grit  out  I  took  another 
look,  and  I  know  I  saw  something  moving  up 
there." 

"What  did  it  look  like?"  asked  Mickey,  who 
was  moving  cautiously  around,  with  his  gaze 
fixed  upon  the  same  opening. 

"I  couldn't  tell,  though  I  tried  hard  to  get  a 
glimpse.  It  seemed  to  me  that  some  one  had  a 


IX  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY.  281 

stick  in  his  hand,  and  was  beating  around  the 
edges  of  the  opening,  as  though  he  wanted  to 
knock  the  loose  dirt  off.  I  could  see  the  stick 
flirted  about,  and  fancied  I  could  see  the  hand 
that  was  holding  it,  though  I  couldn't  be  certain 
of  that." 

"No;  that's  a  leetle  too  much,  as  me  mither 
obsarved,  when  me  brother  Tim  said  that  he  and 
meself  had  got  along  a  whole  half  day  without 
fighting,  and  then  she  whaled  us  both  for  lying. 
Ye  couldn't  tell  a  man's  hand  at  that  distance, 
but  I  see  nothing  of  him,  and  I  should  like  ye  to 
tell  me  where  he's  gone." 

"That  is  what  puzzles  me.  Maybe  he  is  afraid 
that  we  will  see  him." 

Mickey  was  hardly  disposed  to  accept  such  an 
explanation.  It  seemed  to  him  more  likely  that 
it  was  some  wild  animal  mousing  around  the 
orifice,  and  displacing  the  dirt  with  his  paws, 
although  he  couldn't  understand  why  an  animal 
should  be  attracted  by  such  a  spot. 

"It  may  be  one  of  the  spalpeens  that  got  us 
into  all  this  trouble,"  he  added,  still  circling 
slowly  about,  with  his  eyes  fixed  upon  the  open- 
ing. "Those  Apaches  are  sharp-eyed,  and  per- 
haps one  of  their  warriors  has  struck  our  trail, 


282  IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY. 

and  tracked  us  to  that  spot.  If  it's  the  same, 
then  I  doesn't  see  what  he  is  to  gain  by  fooling 
round  up  there.  If  he'd  be  kind  'nough  to  let  a 
lasso  down  that  we  could  climb  up  by.  there'd 
be  some  sinse  in  the  same,  but " 

To  the  horror  of  both,  at  that  instant  there 
was  a  flash  at  the  opening  over  their  heads,  a 
dull  report,  and  the  bullet  buried  itself  in  the 
very  centre  of  the  camp-fire. 

"Begorrah,  but  that's  what  I  call  cheek,  as 
Ned  McGowan  used  to  say  when  the  folks  axed 
him  to  pay  his  debts.  While  we  are  looking 
about,  and  axing  ourselves  whether  there's  any- 
body else  at  all  around  us,  one  of  the  spalpeens 
sinds  his  bullet  down  here,  coming  closer  to  us 
than  is  plaisant.  Did  ye  obsarve  him?" 

"I  saw  nothing  but  the  flash.  Do  you  think 
they  could  see  us?" 

"Not  where  we  are  now.  We're  too  far  away 
from  the  light.  They've  seen  the  fire,  and  be  that 
token  they've  concluded  that  we  must  be  some- 
where near  it." 

" But  there  was  but  one  shot.  Why  not  more?  " 

"We'll  get  the  rest  of  them  arter  awhile. 
That's  a  sort  of  faaler,  thrown  out  to  see  how 
we  take  it,  as  Larry  O'Looligan  used  to  say 


IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY.  283 

when   he   knocked    a    man   down.    Now,  do    ye 
stand  aside,  and  I'll  answer  'em." 

"You'd  better  not,"  protested  Fred.  "They 
can  tell  where  we  are  by  the  flash  of  our  guns." 

"Whisht,  now,  can't  we  move?  Kape  back  in 
the  dark  like." 

The  lad  moved  away  several  steps,  and  Mickey, 
who  made  sure  that  his  form  was  not  revealed 
by  the  light  of  his  own  camp-fire,  circled  around 
to  the  other  side  of  the  opening,  which  he  was 
watching  with  the  keenest  interest.  His  purpose 
was  to  catch  a  glimpse  of  the  wretch  who  had 
fired  the  shot.  But  that  seemed  about  impossi- 
ble. He  could  detect  something  moving  now  and 
then,  and  once  or  twice  there  was  a  twinkle  of 
something  red,  like  the  eagle  feather  in  the  hair 
of  the  warrior,  but  he  could  make  out  nothing 
definitely. 

"He's  there;  and  all  I  want  to  do  is  to  be  cer- 
tain of  hitting  him,"  he  muttered,  as  he  held  the 
cocked  rifle  to  his  shoulder.  "I'm  afeard  that  if 
I  miss  he'll  take  such  good  care  of  himself  that 
I  won't  get  another  chance " 

"There,  Mickey,  there's  something,"  broke  in 
Fred,  who  was  scrutinizing  the  opening  as  closely 


284  IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY. 

as  he  could.  "Fire,  quick!  or  you  won't  get  the 
chance!'' 

The  words  were  scarcely  uttered,  when  the 
Irishman,  who  had  already  taken  aim,  pulled  the 
trigger,  instantly  lowering  his  piece  to  watch  the 
result. 

Both  he  and  Fred  fancied  they  heard  an  ex- 
clamation, but  they  could  not  be  certain.  There 
was  no  perceptible  commotion  about  the  sky- 
light, but  the  flickering,  erratic  movement  which 
had  puzzled  them  ceased  on  the  instant.  Whether 
the  shot  had  accomplished  anything  or  not  could 
only  be  conjectured,  but  Mickey  was  of  the  opin- 
ion that  the  exchange  was  equally  without  re- 
sult in  both  cases. 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 

FOOTSTEPS  IN  THE  DARKNESS. 

THE  direct  result  of  this  exchange  of  shots  was 
to  make  the  two  parties  more  cautious.  Mickey 
and  Fred  kept  further  away  from  the  camp-fire, 
which  they  suffered  to  die  out  gradually.  There 
was  really  no  need  for  it,  and,  since  its  presence 
meant  danger,  it  was  only  prudent  to  dispense 
with  it  altogether. 

For  fully  a  half  hour  not  the  slightest  move- 
ment or  disturbance  at  the  opening  betrayed  the 
presence  of  any  one  there,  although  there  could 
be  no  doubt  that  their  enemies  were  within 
call. 

"I  can't  see  what  they  can  gain  by  loafing 
around  them  parts,  as  the  lassies  used  to  obsarve 
in  the  ould  country  when  any  of  the  laddies  tried 
to  cut  me  out  wid  'em.  They  needn't  watch  for 
us  to  come  out  that  way,  for  there  ain't  much 
danger  of  our  trying  to  steal  out  of  that  hole — " 

"Holloa !    Look  there ! "  exclaimed  Fred,  in  con- 
ass 


286  IN  THE   PECOS   COUNTRY. 

siderable  excitement;  "some  of  them  are  coming 
down  to  catch  us." 

Mickey  had  already  noticed  that  something  un- 
usual was  up,  and,  just  as  the  lad  spoke,  the  fig- 
ure of  what  seemed  to  be  a  man  blocked  up  the 
opening,  and  then  began  slowly  descending,  as  if 
supported  by  a  rope,  with  which  his  friends  were 
lowering  him  into  the  lower  room.  His  form  was 
swathed  with  a  blanket,  and  there  was  a  certain 
majesty  in  the  slowly  sinking  figure,  which  would 
have  been  very  impressive  but  for  the  fact  that 
it  was  hardly  started  when  the  thin  cord  by 
which  it  was  suspended  began  to  twist  and  un- 
twist, causing  the  form  to  revolve  forward  and 
backward  in  a  way  that  was  fatal  to  dignity. 

On  the  impulse  of  the  moment,  the  Irishman 
had  raised  his  gun  to  fire  the  moment  his  eyes 
rested  upon  the  figure.  But  he  restrained  him- 
self, not  a  little  puzzled  to  guess  the  meaning  of 
such  a  proceeding.  The  man,  as  they  believed 
him  to  be,  was  slowly  lowered,  until  something 
like  a  dozen  feet  below  the  opening,  where  those 
who  had  him  in  charge  see-med  to  think  was  the 
proper  place  to  hold  him  an  exhibition  for  a 
time. 


IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY.  287 

"Are  you  going  to  shoot  ?  "  asked  the  boy,  who 
did  not  understand  the  delay. 

"What's  the  use?"  he  asked,  with  an  expres- 
sion of  disgust. 

"Why,  it  will  stop  the  man  coming  down  on 
us." 

"Man,  do  ye  say?  He  ain't  any  more  a  man 
than  me  gun  is." 

"What,  then,  can  he  be?" 

"He's  a  blanket  that  they've  twisted  up  so  as 
to  look  as  though  it  is  gathered  about  the  shoul- 
ders of  an  Apache.  It's  easy  to  see  that  there's 
nothing  in  it  from  the  way  it  swings  around,  as 
though  it  was  a  little  toy;  and,  be  the  same 
token,  that  little  cord  which  holds  him  aloft  is 
no  thicker  than  a  darning-needle.  Why  they  are 
thrying  such  a  simple  thrick  is  more  than  I  can 
tell." 

"I  think  I  know,"  said  Fred.  "They've  dropped 
him  down  to  find  out  whether  we're  on  the 
watch  or  not.  If  we  didn't  pay  any  attention 
to  it,  they  would  think  that  neither  of  us  was 
on  the  look-out,  and  they  would  send  some 
others  down  to  scalp  us." 

"Be  the  powers,  me  laddy,  I  b'lave  ye  are 
right!"  exclaimed  Mickey,  admiringly.  "That's 


288  IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY. 

just  the  plan  of  the  spalpeens,  by  which  towken, 
I'll  tip-kirn  a  shot." 

With  this  he  raised  his  rifle,  and,  sighting  rather 
carelessly,  fired.  The  shot,  which  was  aimed 
at  the  roll  of  blanket,  missed  it  altogether  and 
cut  the  string  which  held  it  suspended  in  mid-air. 

The  next  moment  there  was  a  dull  thump  upon 
the  sand,  and  the  package  lay  at  the  feet  of  the 
Irishman,  who  gave  it  a  kick  to  make  sure  of  its 
nature.  It  rebounded  several  feet,  the  resistance 
to  the  blow  showing  that  there  was  nothing 
more  than  the  simple  blanket,  and  then  he 
stooped  over  and  examined  it  more  closely  by 
the  sense  of  touch. 

"'Twas  very  kind  of  the  spalpeens  to  furnish 
us  with  a  blanket  that  saams  as  good  as  this, 
though  the  \veather  ain't  so  cold  that  we  naad 
it  just  now ;  but  sometimes  the  rain  comes  and 
the  northers  blow,  and  then  a  chap  is  mighty 
glad  to  have  seech  a  convanient  article  about. 
'Twas  very  kind  I  say." 

The  result  of  the  little  experiment  upon  the  part 
of  the  Apaches,  it  was  apparent,  was  not  satis- 
factory to  them.  The  boy  was  right  in  his  sur- 
mise of  its  purpose ;  but  it  cannot  be  supposed 
that  they  counted  upon  losing  the  blanket  under 


IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY.  289 

any  circumstances.  It  was  a  costly  and  beauti- 
ful one,  such  as  are  made  by  the  Indians  of  the 
southwest,  and  it  was  new  enough  to  be  clean,  so 
that  the  two  fugitives  had  secured  a  prize.  At  all 
events,  the  Apaches  must  have  concluded  that  the 
people  below  were  keeping  watch  and  ward  so 
well  that  no  one  could  descend  into  the  cave  with- 
out danger  of  being  perforated  by  a  rifle  ball. 

Shortly  after  this  occurrence  it  began  to  grow 
dark  above,  but  the  cause  was  obvious.  The  day 
was  drawing  to  a  close.  Darkness,  only  less  pro- 
found than  that  within  the  cave  below,  was  en- 
wrapping the  surface  above. 

As  soon  as  the  night  had  fairly  descended, 
Mickey  O'Rooney,  handling  a  small  torch  with 
great  care,  made  his  way  once  more  to  the  puz- 
zling outlet  of  the  underground  stream.  The  in- 
spection satisfied  him  of  the  accuracy  of  his 
theory.  Not  the  slightest  tinge  of  light  relieved 
the  impenetrable  gloom.  Mickey  considered  this 
strong  proof  that  it  was  but  a  short  distance  to 
the  free  air  outside,  and  his  courage  rose  very 
nearly  to  the  sticking  point  of  making  the  experi- 
ment then  and  there. 

"But  we  both  naad  sleep,"  he  mused,  as  he 
threw  down  his  torch,  and  made  his  way  back 

19 


290  IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY. 

by  the  dull  glare  of  the  expiring  camp-fire.  "We 
both  lost  considerable  last  night,  and  a  chap 
can't  kaap  reg'lar  hours  any  more  than  he  can 
when  he's  coorting  three  lassies  at  the  same  time, 
and  thrying  to  kaap  aich  from  suspecting  it.  I 
faal  as  though  we  shall  have  something  lively  to 
do  to-morrow,  and  so  we'd  better  gain  all  the 
slumber  we  kin." 

When  he  reached  the  camp,  he  found  the  lad 
anxiously  awaiting  his  return.  They  had  sig- 
naled to  each  other  several  times,  but  the  presence 
of  the  danger  overhead  rendered  the  boy  more 
uneasy  than  usual  when  they  were  apart. 

"Have  ye  observed  nothing?  "  asked  Mickey,  in 
an  undertone. 

"Nothing  at  all." 

"It's  too  dark  I  know,  to  see,  but  mebbe  yees 
have  heerd  something  to  tell  ye  that  the  spal- 
peens are  up  there  still." 

"You  may  be  sure  I  listened  all  I  know  how, 
but  everything  has  kept  as  still  as  the  grave.  I 
haven't  heard  the  fall  of  a  pebble  even.  What  do 
you  think  the  Indians  mean  to  do?" 

"Well  it's  hard  to  tell.  It  looks  as  though 
they  didn't  think  we  fell  in,  but  had  come  down 


IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY.  291 

on  purpose,  and  had  some  way  of  getting  out  as 
easy,  and  they're  on  the  look  out  for  us." 

"Maybe,  Mickey,  there's  some  other  way  of 
coming  in,  that  we  haven't  been  able  to  find." 

"I  hoped  so  a  while  ago,  but  I've  guv  it  up. 
If  them  spalpeens  knowed  of  any  other  way,  what 
do  they  mean  by  fooling  around  that  place  up 
there,  where  they're  likely  to  get  shot  if  they  show 
themselves,  and  they're  likely  to  lose  the  best 
blankets  they've  got?" 

Fred  did  not  feel  competent  to  answer  this 
question,  and  so  he  was  forced  to  believe  that 
Mickey  was  right  in  his  conclusion  that  there  was 
no  other  way  of  entering  the  cave  than  by  the 
skylight  above. 

"Which  the  same  thing  being  the  case,  I  pro- 
pose that  we  thry  and  see  how  the  new  blanket 
answers  for  a  bed.  Begorrah !  but  its  fine,  as  me 
mither  used  to  say  when  she  run  her  hands  over 
the  head  of  me  dad,  and  felt  the  lumps  made  by 
the  shillelah." 

And,  having  spread  the  blanket  out  in  the  dark- 
ness, he  rubbed  his  hands  over  its  velvety  surface, 
admiring  its  wonderful  texture.  The  texture  is 
such  that  water  can  be  carried  in  these  Apache 
blankets  with  as  much  certainty  as  in  a  metal 


292  IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY. 

vessel.  But  Fred  protested  against  both  lying 
down  to  sleep  at  the  same  time.  He  thought  it 
likely  that  the  Apaches  meant  tor  visit  the  cave 
during  the  night ;  but  his  friend  laughed  his  fears 
to  scorn,  assuring  him  that  there  could  be  no  dan- 
ger at  all.  In  view  of  the  reception  tendered  the 
blanket,  the  Apaches  would  take  it  for  granted 
that  the  parties  beneath  were  too  vigilant  to  per- 
mit anyone  to  steal  a  march  upon  them. 

Mickey  at  once  attested  his  sincerity  by  stretch- 
ing out  upon  the  inviting  couch,  and  Fred  con- 
cluded at  last  to  join  him.  It  was  not  long  before 
the  Irishman  was  sound  asleep,  but  the  lad  lay 
awake  a  long  time,  looking  reflectively  up  at  the 
spot  where  he  knew  the  opening  to  be, — the  open- 
ing which  had  been  the  means  of  letting  himself 
and  comrade  down  into  that  dismal  retreat  of 
solitude, — and  wondering  what  their  enemies  were 
doing. 

"They  must  know  that  I  am  here.  Lone  Wolf 
will  punish  them  if  they  don't  keep  me,  so  I  am 
sure  they  will  do  all  they  can  to  catch  me  again. 
I  wish  I  was  certain  that  there  was  no  way  of 
getting  in  but  through  that  up  there,  and  then  I 
could  sleep  too,  but  I  feel  too  scared  to  do  it 
now." 


IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY.  293 

This  anxiety  kept  him  awake  a  long  time  after 
Mickey  became  unconscious;  but,  as  hour  after 
hour  passed  and  the  stillness  remained  unbroken, 
his  fears  were  gradually  dissipated  and  a  feeling 
of  drowsiness  began  stealing  over  him. 

Before  consciousness  entirely  departed,  he  turned 
upon  his  side,  that  being  the  posture  he  generally 
assumed  when  asleep.  As  he  made  the  movement 
and  his  ear  -was  placed  against  the  blanket,  which 
in  its  turn  rested  upon  the  ground,  he  heard  some- 
thing which  aroused  his  suspicions  instantly  and 
he  raised  his  head.  But  when  he  rested  on  his 
hands,  with  his  shoulders  thrown  up,  he  could 
hear  nothing  at  all.  The  earth  was  a  better  con- 
ductor of  sound  than  the  atmosphere,  which 
accounted  for  what  at  first  seemed  curious. 

The  boy  applied  his  ear  as  before,  and  again  he 
heard  the  noise,  faintly,  but  distinctly.  As  the 
eye  was  of  no  use,  he  pressed  his  head  against 
the  blanket  and  listened.  Several  minutes  were 
occupied  in  this  manner,  and  then  he  said,  in  an 
undertone : 

"I  know  what  it  is ! — it  is  somebody  walking  as 
softly  as  he  can.  There  is  another  way  of  getting 
into  this  cavern,  and  those  Apaches  have  found  it 
out.  They've  got  inside  and  are  hunting  for  us! " 


CHAPTER  XXXIII. 

WHAT  THE  FOOTSTEPS  MEANT. 

CAREFUL  listening  convinced  Fred  that  there 
were  two  red-skins  groping  around  in  the  dark- 
ness. After  making  himself  certain  on  that  point, 
he  reached  his  hand  over,  and,  grasping  the  mus- 
cular arm  of  Mickey  O'Rooney,  shook  his  com- 
panion quite  vigorously. 

Fred  was  afraid  that,  in  waking,  the  Irishman 
would  utter  some  exclamation,  or  make  such  a 
noise  that  he  would  betray  their  location.  When, 
therefore,  several  shakings  failed  to  arouse  him, 
the  boy  easily  persuaded  himself  that  it  was  best 
to  leave  him  where  he  was  for  a  time. 

"I  can  tell  when  they  come  too  close,"  he  re- 
flected, "and  then  I  will  stir  him  up." 

A  few  minutes  later  he  found  that  he  could  hear 
the  noise  without  placing  his  ear  against  the 
blanket;  so  he  lay  flat  on  his  face,  resting  the 
upper  part  of  his  body  upon  his  elbows,  with  his 
head  thrown  up.  He  peered  off  in  the  gloom,  in 
the  direction  whence  the  footsteps  seemed  to 

294 


IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY^  295 

come,  looking  with  that  earnest,  piercing  gaze, 
as  if  he  expected  to  see  the  forms  of  the  dreaded 
Apaches  become  luminous  and  reveal  themselves 
in  the  black  night  around. 

No  ray  of  light  relieved  the  Egyptian  blackness. 
The  camp-fire  had  been  allowed  to  die  out  com- 
pletely, and  no  red  ember,  glowering  like  a  de- 
mon's eye,  showed  where  it  had  been.  The 
trained  eye  might  have  detected  the  faintest  sus- 
picion of  light  near  the  opening  overhead,  but  it 
was  faint  indeed. 

"They  keep  together,"  added  Fred  to  himself, 
as  he  distinguished  the  soft,  stealthy  tread  over 
the  ground.  "  I  should  think  they  would  separate, 
and  they  would  be  the  more  likely  to  find  the 
place  between  them ;  but  they  want  to  be  together 
when  they  run  against  Mickey,  I  guess." 

The  shadowy  footsteps  were  not  regular.  Occa- 
sionally they  paused,  and  then  they  hurried  on 
again,  and  then  they  settled  down  into  the 
stealthiest  kind  of  movement.  The  lad,  it  is  true, 
had  the  newly  found  revolver,  with  several  of  its 
chambers  loaded,  at  his  command.  There  was 
some  doubt,  however,  whether  it  could  be  relied 
upon,  owing  to  the  probable  length  of  time  that 
had  elapsed  since  the  charges  were  placed  there. 


296  IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY. 

As  a  precaution,  Mickey  O'Rooney  had  placed 
new  caps  upon  the  tubes,  but  had  chosen  to 
leave  the  charges  themselves  undisturbed.  This 
beautiful  weapon  the  lad  held  grasped  in  his 
hand,  determined  to  blaze  away  at  the  prowling 
murderers  the  instant  they  should  reveal  them- 
selves with  sufficient  distinctness  to  make  his 
shots  certain. 

An  annoying  delay  followed.  The  Apaches 
seemed  to  know  very  nearly  where  the  right  spot 
was,  without  being  able  to  locate  it  definitely. 
The  footsteps  were  heard  first  in  one  direction 
and  then  they  changed  off  to  another.  The  war- 
riors acted  precisely  as  if  they  knew  the  location 
of  their  intended  victims,  but  were  seeking  to 
find  whether  they  were  in  the  right  position  to 
be  easily  attacked. 

Thus  matters  remained  for  ten  or  fifteen  min- 
utes longer,  during  which  the  lad  held  himself  on 
the  alert,  and  was  no  little  puzzled  to  compre- 
hend the  meaning  for  the  course  of  their  ene- 
mies. 

"They  daren't  do  anything,  now  that  they 
know  where  we  are.  They're  afraid  we're  on  the 
watch,  and  think  if  they  wait  a  while  longer,  we 
will  drop  off  to  sleep;  but  they  will  find " 


IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY.  297 

A  sudden  light  just  then  broke  in  upon  young 
Munson.  He  -was  looking  off  in  the  direction  of 
the  sound,  when  the  phosphorescent  gleam  of  a 
pair  of  eyes  shot  out  from  the  darkness  upon 
rhim. 

There  was  a  greenish  glare  in  the  unexpected 
appearance  that  left  no  doubt  of  their  identity. 
Instead  of  Indians,  as  he  had  imagined  at  first, 
there  was  some  kind  of  a  wild  animal  that  was 
prowling  about  them.  None  of  the  Apaches 
had  entered  the  cave  at  all — only  a  single  beast. 

But  where  had  he  come  from?  By  what  means 
had  he  entered  the  cave? 

These  were  very  significant  questions,  of  the 
greatest  importance  to  the  two  who  were  shut 
within  the  subterranean  prison.  Fred  did  not 
feel  himself  competent  to  answer,  so  he  reached 
over  and  shook  Mickey  harder  than  ever,  deter- 
mined that  he  should  arouse. 

"Come,  wake  up,  you  sleepy  head,"  he  called 
out.  "There  might  a  dozen  bears  come  down  on 
you  and  eat  you  up,  before  you  would  open  your 
eyes !  Come,  Mickey,  there  is  need  of  your  wak- 
ing!" 

"Begorrah — but — there's  more  naad  of  me 
slaaping,"  muttered  the  Irishman,  gradually  re- 


298  IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY. 

calling  his  senses.  "I  was  in  the  midst  of  a 
beautiful  draam,  in  which  there  came  two  lovely 
females,  that  looked  like  Bridget  O'Flaherty  and 
Molly  McFizzle.  Both  were  smiling  in  their  win- 
some way  on  me,  and  both  were  advancing  to 
give  me  a  swaat  kiss,  or  a  crack  over  the  head, 
I  don't  know  which,  when,  just  before  they 
raiched  me,  you  sticks  out  your  paw  and  gives 
me  a  big  shake.  Arrah,  ye  spalpeen,  why  did  ye 
do  that?" 

"Didn't  you  hear  me  say  there  was  something 
in  the  cavern  ?  I  thought  there  were  a  couple  of 
Apaches  at  first,  but  I  guess  it  is  a  wild  ani- 
mal." 

The  Irishman  was  all  attention  on  the  instant, 
and  he  started  bolt  upright. 

"Whisht!  what's  that  ye're  saying?  Will  ye 
plaze  say  it  over  again?" 

The  lad  hurriedly  told  him  that  an  animal  of 
some  kind  was  lurking  near  them.  Mickey  caught 
up  his  rifle,  and  demanded  to  know  where  he 
was.  In  such  darkness  as  enveloped  them  it  was 
necessary  that  the  eyes  of  the  beast  should  be  at 
a  certain  angle  in  order  to  become  visible  to  the 
two  watchers.  Both  heard  his  light  footsteps, 


IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY.  299 

and  knew  where  the  eyes  were  likely  to  be  dis- 
cerned. 

"There  he  is!"  exclaimed  Fred,  as  he  caught 
sight  of  the  green,  phosphorescent  glitter  of  the 
two  orbs,  which  is  peculiar  to  the  eyes  of  the  fe- 
line species. 

Mickey  detected  them  at  the  same  moment, 
and  drew  his  rifle  to  his  shoulder.  He  kept  the 
kneeling  position,  fearing  that  the  target  would 
vanish  if  he  should  wait  until  he  could  rise.  It 
is  no  easy  thing  for  a  hunter  to  take  aim  when 
he  is  utterly  unable  to  detect  the  slightest  por- 
tion of  his  weapon,  and  it  was  this  fact  which 
caused  Mickey  to  delay  his  firing.  However,  be- 
fore he  could  make  his  aim  any  way  satisfac- 
tory, a  bright  thought  struck  him,  and  he  low- 
ered his  gun,  carefully  letting  the  hammer  down 
upon  the  tube. 

"Ain't  you  going  to  fire?"  asked  the  lad,  who 
could  not  understand  the  delay. 

"Whisht,  now!  would  ye  have  me  slay  me  best 
friend?" 

"I  don't  understand  you,  Mickey." 

"S'pose  I'd  shot  the  baste,  whatever  he  is, 
that  would  be  the  end  of  him;  but  lave  him 
alone,  and  he'll  show  us  the  way  out." 


300  IN  THE  PECOS   COUNTRY. 

"How  can  he  do  that?" 

"Don't  you  obsarve,"  said  the  man,  who  had 
got  the  theory  all  perfectly  arranged  in  his  mind, 
that  that  creature  couldn't  get  into  this  cave 
without  coming  in  some  way?" 

There  was  no  gainsaying  such  logic  as  that, 
but  Fred  knew  that  his  friend  meant  more  than 
he  said. 

"Of  course  he  couldn't  get  in  here  without 
having  some  way  of  doing  it.  But  suppose  he 
took  the  same  means  as  we  did?  How  is  that 
going  to  help  us?" 

But  the  Irishman  was  certain  that  such  could 
not  be  the  case. 

"There  ain't  any  wild  beasts  as  big  foois  as 
we  was.  Ye  could  nt  git  'em  to  walk  into  such 
a  hole,  any  more  than  ye  could  git  an  Irisman 
to  gaze  calmly  upon  a  head  without  hitting  it. 
Ye  can  make  up  your  mind  that  there's  some 
way  leading  into  this  cavern,  which  nobody 
knows  anything  about,  excepting  this  wild  crea- 
ture, and,  if  we  let  him  alone,  he'll  go  out  again, 
showing  us  the  path." 

"I  should  think  if  he  knew  the  route  some  of 
the  Indians  would  learn  it." 

"So  anybody  would  think;  but   the   crayther 


IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY.  301 

has  not  given  'em  the  chance — so  how  can  they 
larn  it  ?  If  we  play  our  cards  right,  me  laddy, 
we're  sure  to  win." 

"What  kind  of  an  animal  is  it?" 

They  were  all  the  time  gazing  at  the  point 
where  the  eyes  were  last  seen,  but  the  beast  was 
continually  shifting  its  position,  so  that  the 
orbs  were  no  longer  visible.  The  faint  tipping  of 
his  feet  upon  the  gravely  earth  was  heard,  and 
now  and  then  the  transient  flash  of  his  eyes,  as 
he  whisked  back  and  forth,  was  caught,  but  all 
vanished  again  almost  as  soon  as  seen.  All  that 
could  be  learned  was,  that  whatever  the  species 
of  the  animal,  he  owned  large  eyes,  and  they 
were  placed  close  together.  Neither  of  the  two 
were  sufficiently  acquainted  with  the  peculiarities 
of  the  different  animals  of  the  West  to  identify 
them  by  any  slight  peculiarities. 

"I  don't  think  he  can  be  an  ilephant  or  a  rhin- 
oceros," said  Mickey,  reflectively,  "because  such 
crathurs  don't  grow  in  these  parts.  What  about 
his  being  a  grizzly  bear?" 

"He  can't  be  that,"  said  Fred,  who  had  been 
given  time  to  note  the  special  character  of  the 
footsteps  before  he  awoke  his  companion.  "He 
walks  too  lightly." 


302  IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY. 

"What  do  you  conclude  him  to  be?" 
"If  there    were   such    things    as    wild    dogs,  I 
would  be  sure  he  was  one." 
"Then  I  have  it;  he  must  be  a  wolf." 
"I  guess  you're  right.    He  acts  just  like  one — 
trotting  here  and  there,  while  his  eyes  shine  like 
we  used  to  see  them  when  we  were   camped  on 
the   prairie,  and  they  used  to   hang  round   the 
camp  waiting   for    a  chance   to    get    something 
to  eat." 

"It's  aisy  to  double  him  up,"  said  Mickey,  who 
just  then  caught  a  glimpse  of  the  eyes  again; 
"but  if  he'll  show  the  way  out  of  here,  I'll  make 
a  vow  never  to  shoot  another  wolf,  even  if  he 
tries  to  chaw  me  head  off." 
"How  are  we  going  to  discover  the  place?" 
"Just  foller  him.  He'll  hang  round  a  while, 
very  likely  all  night,  and  when  he  finds  out 
there's  nothing  to  make  here,  he'll  trot  off  agin. 
All  we've  got  to  do  is  to  do  the  same,  and  he'll 
show  the  way  out." 

"It  don't  look  so  easy  to  me,"  said  Fred,  a 
few  minutes  later,  while  he  had  been  busily  turn- 
ing the  scheme  over  in  his  mind.  "If  we  only 
had  the  daylight  to  see  him,  it  wouldn't  be  so 
hard,  but  here  he  is  right  close  to  us,  and  it  is 


IN  THE  PECOS  COUNTRY.  303 

only  now  and  then  that  we  can  tell  where  he  is." 
"Yees  are  right,  for  it  isn't  likely  that  we  can 
walk  right  straight  out  by  the  way  that  he  does ; 
but  we  can  larn  from  his  movements  pretty  nearly 
where  the  place  is,  and  then  we  can  take  a 
torch  and  hunt  for  a  day  or  two,  and  I  don't 
see  how  we  can  miss  it." 

There  seemed  to  be  reason  in  this,  although 
the  lad  could  not  feel  as  sanguine  as  did  his  com- 
panion. The  wolf,  as  he  believed  it  to  be,  was 
doubtless  familiar  with  every  turn  of  the  cave, 
and,  when  he  was  ready  to  go,  was  likely  to  van- 
ish in  a  twinkling — skurrying  away  with  a  speed 
that  would  defy  pursuit.  However,  there  was  a 
promise,  or  a  possibility,  at  least,  of  success,  and 
that  certainly  was  something  to  be  cheerful  over, 
even  though  the  prospect  was  not  brilliant,  and 
Fred  was  resolved  that  failure  should  not  come 
through  remissness  of  his.  *  *  * 

The  continuation  of  this  absorbing  story  is  entitled 
"THE  CAVB  IN  THE  MOUNTAIN." 


A     000125286     5 


